Body composition as a frailty marker for the elderly community

Abstract

BackgroundBody composition (BC) in the elderly has been associated with diseases and mortality; however, there is a shortage of data on frailty in the elderly.ObjectiveTo investigate the association between BC and frailty, and identify BC profiles in nonfrail, prefrail, and frail elderly people.MethodsA cross-sectional study comprising 235 elderly (142 females and 93 males) aged ≥65 years, from the city of Amparo, State of São Paulo, Brazil, was undertaken. Sociodemographic and cognitive features, comorbidities, medication, frailty, body mass index (BMI), muscle mass, fat mass, bone mass, and fat percent (%) data were evaluated. Aiming to examine the relationship between BC and frailty, the Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis nonparametric tests were applied. The statistical significance level was P<0.05.ResultsThe nonfrail elderly showed greater muscle mass and greater bone mass compared with the prefrail and frail ones. The frail elderly had greater fat % than the nonfrail elderly. There was a positive association between grip strength and muscle mass with bone mass (P<0.001), and a negative association between grip strength and fat % (P<0.001). Gait speed was positively associated with fat mass (P=0.038) and fat % (P=0.002). The physical activity level was negatively associated with fat % (P=0.022). The weight loss criterion was positively related to muscle mass (P<0.001), bone mass (P=0.009), fat mass (P=0.018), and BMI (P=0.003). There was a negative association between fatigue and bone mass (P=0.008).Discussion: Frailty in the elderly was characterized by a BC profile/phenotype with lower muscle mass and lower bone mass and with a higher fat %. The BMI was not effective in evaluating the relationship between BC and frailty. The importance of evaluating the fat % was verified when considering the tissue distribution in the elderly BC.

Fragilidade física e velocidade da marcha em idosos da comunidade: uma revisão sistemática

“…As observed in the different studies, even though there is no established consensus for GS measurement, there was a predominance of distance of 4.6 meters (23,34,38,(39)(40)42,(44)(45)50,(58)(59)(60)(73)(74) , and cutoff points for reduced GS were defined by the lowest quintile value (7,34,40,42,44,49,54,57,59,65,69,72,75) . These studies follow the procedure/protocol of the study (6) .…”

“…Reduced GS as a marker of physical frailty was higher in women compared to men (32,34,40,(57)(58)60,(62)(63)69,76) . This is confirmed by the results of nine studies, which totaled a sample of 26,625 elderly (≥ 65 years) living in the community.…”

“…The results of the studies showed an association between GS and variables of disability (31) , frailty (31)(32)(54)(55)59,(65)(66) , cognitive impairment, dependence, mortality (23,64) , sedentary lifestyle (34,41) , muscle weakness (57) , worse health and quality of life (35,47,58) , stress (51,72) , napping duration (50) , obesity (46) , mass and percentage of body fat (60) and low performance in quantitative parameters of gait (33) . There was a significant association between reduced GS and lower life satisfaction (40) , and the episode of fall at follow-up was significantly associated with reduced GS (46) .…”

Orthopaedic Surgeons Perceptions of Frailty and Frailty Screening

“…Frailty includes clinical indicators, or phenotypic markers, such as reduced muscle strength, unintended weight loss, low physical activity, fatigue, and impairment of physical function [4,5]. Moreover, frail older patients typically have lower bone mineral density [6] and lower lean body mass [7] than non-frail patients. These mechanisms and others can cause weakness, unsteady gait, and impaired balance, thereby increasing patients' susceptibility to falls, fragility fractures, and subsequent mortality [8].…”

Análise da síndrome da fragilidade em idosos na atenção primária - Estudo transversal

“…4,15,16 A maior contingência das mulheres nas pesquisas envolvendo a questão da saúde pode ser justificada por sua maior exposição a tratamentos de saúde ao longo da vida, comparado aos homens, bem como pode ser explicada pela condição de cuidadora da mulheres. 13 No presente estudo as mulheres foram maioria (60,26%) e a idade média foi de 72,62 anos (±5,71) entre todos os participantes, corroborando com outros estudos. 15,16 Em relação às comorbidades referidas observa-se, neste estudo, que as principais doenças relatadas são hipertensão arterial (70,3%), seguida de diabetes (33,9%), depressão (26,3%), doença cardiovascular (23,4%) e reumatismo (22,9% …”