Frequency of Frailty in Old Age Sedentary Population with Disturbed Neurological Status
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Frailty is a common syndrome among older adults, characterized by a decline in physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. This study investigates the prevalence of frailty and its correlation with neurological status in a sedentary elderly population residing in old age homes.
Objective: The primary objective was to determine the prevalence of frailty and assess the relationship between frailty and cognitive impairment among sedentary elderly individuals.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted across various old age homes in Lahore. Data collection began six months post-approval from the ethical committee, adhering to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Using a non-probability convenience sampling technique, 111 participants aged 60 years and above were recruited. Exclusion criteria included traumatic injury, severe psychiatric illness, and complete disability. Frailty was assessed using the FRAIL scale, which includes components like fatigue, resistance, aerobic capacity, illness, and weight loss. Cognitive impairment was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25, with descriptive and inferential statistics employed to explore the relationships between variables.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 72.063 years (SD = 7.942). Frailty assessment revealed that 88.3% (n=98) were frail, 8.1% (n=9) were pre-frail, and 3.6% (n=4) were not frail. Cognitive assessment showed that 31.5% (n=35) of participants had normal cognitive function, 66.6% (n=74) had mild cognitive impairment, and 1.8% (n=2) had moderate cognitive impairment. No participants were classified with severe cognitive impairment. A weak negative correlation was found between MMSE scores and FRAIL scale scores (r = -0.090, p = 0.346), indicating no significant association between cognitive impairment and frailty in this population.
Conclusion: The study found a high prevalence of frailty and mild cognitive impairment among the sedentary elderly population in old age homes. Despite the weak correlation between cognitive impairment and frailty, the findings underscore the need for comprehensive geriatric care strategies that address both physical and mental health to improve the quality of life and functional independence of elderly individuals.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Yang F, Li N, Yang L, Chang J, Yan A, Wei W. Association of Pre-Stroke Frailty With Prognosis of Elderly Patients With Acute Cerebral Infarction: A Cohort Study. Front Neurol. 2022;13:855532.
Sobhani A, Sharifi F, Fadayevatan R, Kamrani AAA, Moodi M, Khorashadizadeh M, et al. Low Physical Activity Is the Strongest Factor Associated With Frailty Phenotype and Frailty Index: Data From Baseline Phase of Birjand Longitudinal Aging Study (BLAS). BMC Geriatr. 2022;22(1):498.
Savelieva I, Fumagalli S, Kenny RA, Anker S, Benetos A, Boriani G, et al. EHRA Expert Consensus Document on the Management of Arrhythmias in Frailty Syndrome, Endorsed by the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS), Latin America Heart Rhythm Society (LAHRS), and Cardiac Arrhythmia Society of Southern Africa (CASSA). Europace. 2023;25(4):1249-76.
Ma SH, Jeung KY, Hong SH, Shim EY, Yoo SH, Kim MY, et al. Correlation Between Frailty Level and Disability of the Elderly and Frailty Related Factors. Korean J Fam Med. 2009;30(8):588-97.
Xue QL. The Frailty Syndrome: Definition and Natural History. Clin Geriatr Med. 2011;27(1):1-15.
Taylor JA, Greenhaff PL, Bartlett DB, Jackson TA, Duggal NA, Lord JM. Multisystem Physiological Perspective of Human Frailty and Its Modulation by Physical Activity. Physiol Rev. 2023;103(2):1137-91.
Yamasaki T. Preventive Strategies for Cognitive Decline and Dementia: Benefits of Aerobic Physical Activity, Especially Open-Skill Exercise. Brain Sci. 2023;13(3):521.
Doody P, Lord JM, Greig CA, Whittaker AC. Frailty: Pathophysiology, Theoretical and Operational Definitions, Impact, Prevalence, Management and Prevention, in an Increasingly Economically Developed and Ageing World. Gerontology. 2023;69(8):927-45.
Ruan H, Hu J, Zhao J, Tao H, Chi J, Niu X, et al. Menopause and Frailty: A Scoping Review. Menopause. 2020;27(10):1185-95.
Borda MG, Soennesyn H, Steves CJ, Vik-Mo AO, Pérez-Zepeda MU, Aarsland D. Frailty in Older Adults With Mild Dementia: Dementia With Lewy Bodies and Alzheimer’s Disease. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord Extra. 2019;9(1):176-83.
Albala C, Lera L, Sanchez H, Angel B, Márquez C, Arroyo P, et al. Frequency of Frailty and Its Association With Cognitive Status and Survival in Older Chileans. Clin Interv Aging. 2017:995-1001.
Evans NR, Todd OM, Minhas JS, Fearon P, Harston GW, Mant J, et al. Frailty and Cerebrovascular Disease: Concepts and Clinical Implications for Stroke Medicine. Int J Stroke. 2022;17(3):251-9.
Reyes PO, Perea EG, Blázquez MR, Marcos AP. Prevalence and Correlates of Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Chronic Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study. Pain Manag Nurs. 2020;21(6):530-5.
Huang R, Pan F, Kong C, Lu S. Morphology of Paraspinal Muscles in Frail and Non-Frail Older Adults Evaluated Through FRAIL Scale. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2023;24(1):1-6.
Verschoor CP, Tamim H. Frailty Is Inversely Related to Age at Menopause and Elevated in Women Who Have Had a Hysterectomy: An Analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2019;74(5):675-82.
Gomes CS, Pirkle CM, Barbosa JF, Vafaei A, Câmara SM, Guerra RO. Age at First Birth, Parity and History of Hysterectomy Are Associated to Frailty Status: Cross-Sectional Analysis From the International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS). J Cross Cult Gerontol. 2018;33:337-54.
Angioni D, Macaron T, Takeda C, Sourdet S, Cesari M, Giudici KV, et al. Can We Distinguish Age-Related Frailty From Frailty Related to Diseases? Data From the MAPT Study. J Nutr Health Aging. 2020;24:1144-51.
Kehler DS, Clara I, Hiebert B, Stammers AN, Hay JL, Schultz A, et al. Sex-Differences in Relation to the Association Between Patterns of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior With Frailty. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2020;87:103972.
Arevalo-Rodriguez I, Smailagic N, Roqué-Figuls M, Ciapponi A, Sanchez-Perez E, Giannakou A, et al. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for the Early Detection of Dementia in People With Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021(7).
Doody P. The Prevalence of Frailty Among Geriatric Hospital Inpatients, and the Feasibility of Adapted Exercise Interventions for Geriatric Hospital Inpatients, and Assisted Living Facility Residents With Frailty [dissertation]. Birmingham (UK): University of Birmingham; 2022.
Agrawal Y, Smith PF, Rosenberg PB. Vestibular Impairment, Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer’s Disease: Balancing the Evidence. Aging Ment Health. 2020;24(5):705-8.