Depression is associated with self-rated frailty in older adults from an outpatient clinic: a prospective study.

ABSTRACTObjectives:The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between depression and SSRI monotherapy and frailty both baseline and prospectively in older adults. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study, 12-month follow-up. SETTING: Geriatric outpatient clinic in São Paulo, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 811 elderly adults aged 60 or older. MEASUREMENTS: Depression was diagnosed as follows: (1) a diagnosis of major depression disorder (MDD) according to DSM-5; or (2) an incomplete diagnosis of MDD, referred to as minor or subsyndromic depression, plus Geriatric Depression Scale 15-itens ≥ 6 points, and social or functional impairment secondary to depressive symptoms and observed by relatives. Frailty evaluation was performed through the FRAIL questionnaire, which is a self-rated scale. Trained investigators blinded to the baseline assessment conducted telephone calls to evaluate frailty after 12-month follow-up. The association between depression and the use of SSRI with frailty was estimated through a generalized estimating equation adjusted for age, gender, total drugs, and number of comorbidities. RESULTS: Depression with SSRI use was associated with frailty at baseline (OR 2.82, 95% CI = 1.69-4.69) and after 12 months (OR 2.75, 95% CI = 1.84-4.11). Additionally, depression with SSRI monotherapy was also associated with FRAIL subdomains Physical Performance (OR 1.99, 95% CI = 1.29-3.07) and Health Status (OR 4.64, 95% CI = 2.11-10.21). SSRI use, without significant depressive symptoms, was associated with subdomain Health Status (OR 1.52, 95% CI = 1.04-2.23). CONCLUSION: It appears that depression with SSRI is associated to frailty, and this association cannot be explained only by antidepressant use.

Feasibility, safety, acceptability, and functional outcomes of playing Nintendo Wii Fit PlusTM for frail older adults: A randomized feasibility clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Recently, interactive video games (IVGs) have been used as a health-care intervention that provides both exercise and cognitive stimulation. Several studies have shown that IVGs can improve postural control, gait, cognition, and functional independence in elderly people and patients with neurological disease. However, there is a lack of evidence about the effects of IVGs on frail and pre-frail elderly people. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and acceptability of playing Nintendo Wii Fit Plus™ (NWFP) interactive video games, and the functional outcomes (postural control, gait, cognition, mood, and fear of falling) in frail and pre-frail older adults. METHODS: This study is a randomized controlled, parallel-group, feasibility trial. Participants were frail and pre-frail older adults randomly assigned to the experimental group (EG, n = 15) or control group (CG, n = 15). Participants in the EG performed 14 training sessions, lasting 50 min each, twice a week. In each training session, participants played five of 10 selected games, with two attempts at each game. Participants in the CG received general advice regarding the importance of physical activity. All participants were assessed on three occasions by a blinded physical therapist: before and after intervention, and 30 days after the end of the intervention (follow-up). We assessed the feasibility (score of participants in the games), acceptability (game satisfaction questionnaire), safety (adverse events during training sessions), and functional outcomes: (1) postural control (Mini-BESTest); (2) gait (Functional Gait Assessment); (3) cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment); (4) mood (GDS-15); and (5) fear of falling (FES-I). RESULTS: Participants in the EG improved their scores in all 10 games, reported that they understood and enjoyed the tasks of the games, and presented few adverse events during the practice. There was a significant improvement in the Mini-BESTest and Functional Gait Assessment in the EG when compared with the CG (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The use of NWFP was feasible, acceptable, and safe for frail older adults and improved their postural control and gait. There were no effects on cognition, mood, or fear of falling. This trial was registered in the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (RBR-823rst) on 11 June 2016.

Consenso brasileiro de fragilidade em idosos: conceitos, epidemiologia e instrumentos de avaliação / Brazilian consensus on frailty in older people: concepts, epidemiology and evaluation instruments

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi descrever as definições conceitual e operacional da síndrome de fragilidade recomendadas pelo Consenso Brasileiro de Fragilidade em Idosos. Em 2015, uma força-tarefa composta de especialistas brasileiros em envelhecimento humano conduziu uma revisão bibliográfica sobre fragilidade em idosos no Brasil e estabeleceu um consenso acerca dos principais achados por meio de reuniões periódicas. No total, 72 artigos foram incluídos para análise, entre os quais, uma revisão sistemática, duas discussões conceituais, duas descrições metodológicas, quatro estudos longitudinais focando mortalidade e piora do perfil de fragilidade, oito estudos de adaptação transcultural e 55 estudos transversais ou de prevalência. Quarenta e cinco estudos (62,5%) utilizaram a escala de fragilidade do Cardiovascular Health Study (EFCHS), dos quais sete (15,2%) usaram pontos de corte não ajustados para a amostra e 17 (36,9%) modificaram pelo menos um dos cinco itens que compõem o instrumento. A prevalência de fragilidade variou entre 6,7 e 74,1%. Quando utilizada a EFCHS, a ampla variação de prevalência ­ de 8 a 49,3% ­ dependeu dos pontos de corte empregados para classificar as alterações na velocidade de marcha e na força de preensão palmar, bem como do cenário de investigação. Os estudos foram baseados em quatro grandes modelos conceituais de fragilidade. A fragilidade em idosos representa um estado de vulnerabilidade fisiológica e não deve ser confundida com incapacidades ou multimorbidades. Na população brasileira, a prevalência de fragilidade ainda não está adequadamente estimada, e os pontos de corte dos itens que compõem as escalas de fragilidade devem ser adaptados aos parâmetros dessa população.

The aim of the present study was to describe the conceptual and operational definitions of the frailty syndrome recommended by the Brazilian Consensus on Frailty in Older People. In 2015, a task force consisting of Brazilian specialists on human aging conducted a bibliographical review on frailty among older people in Brazil and established a consensus on the main findings through periodic meetings. A total of 72 articles were included in the analysis, comprising one systematic review, two conceptual discussions, two methodological descriptions, four longitudinal studies focusing on mortality and worsening of the frailty profile, eight cross-cultural adaptation studies, and 55 cross-sectional or prevalence studies. Forty-five studies (62.5%) used the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) frailty scale, of which seven (15.2%) used unadjusted cut-off points for their samples and 17 (36.9%) modified at least one of the five items of the instrument. The prevalence of frailty varied between 6.7 and 74.1%. When the CHS frailty scale was used, the wide range of prevalence ­ from 8 to 49.3% ­ depended on the cut-off points used to classify changes in gait speed and handgrip strength, as well as the research setting. The studies were based on four major conceptual models of frailty. Frailty in older people represents a state of physiological vulnerability and should not be confused with disabilities or multi-morbidities. In the Brazilian population, the prevalence of frailty has not yet been adequately estimated, and the cut-off points of the items of the frailty scales should be adapted to the parameters of this population.

Persistent pain is a risk factor for frailty: a systematic review and meta-analysis from prospective longitudinal studies.

Background: pain is prevalent in frail older adults; however, the association of pain and frailty has not been evaluated yet by a systematic assessment of prospective longitudinal studies. Objective: we aimed to assess the association of persistent pain as a risk factor for frailty incidence, using data from longitudinal studies in a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: publications were identified using a systematic search on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and clinicaltrials.gov databases from inception to October 2017. Since heterogeneity across studies was high, we used random-effects meta-analysis to calculate the pooled relative risk for the association between persistent pain and the incidence of frailty. We investigated sources of heterogeneity among studies using meta-regression and stratified analyses. Results: we included five prospective longitudinal studies with 13,120 participants (46% women, mean age from 59 to 85 years old). Participants with persistent pain at baseline had twice the risk of developing frailty during the follow-up (pooled RR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.14-4.29). No variables were related to study heterogeneity in sensitivity analyses. Conclusion: persistent pain was a risk factor for the development of frailty in a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Better understanding of the association between pain and frailty with proper evaluation of potential confounders could allow the development of targeted interventions.

Frailty and cognitive status evaluation can better predict mortality in older adults?

OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the improvement in one-year mortality prediction after adding a 2-min cognitive screening to a simple 1-min frailty detection instrument. Secondary outcomes were new activities of daily living (ADL) disability and falls. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: A geriatric day-hospital for intermediate care. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 701 older adults with an acute or decompensated disease (79.5 (8.3) years, 64% female). MEASUREMENTS: A rapid and simple frailty evaluation was performed using the FRAIL questionnaire. The presence of cognitive impairment was defined by previous diagnosis of dementia or a score of five or less on an education-corrected 10-point cognitive screening tool. RESULTS: Frail participants with normal (hazard risk [HR] 4.0, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.73-9.25) and impaired cognition had a higher risk of death (HR 4.38, 95% CI, 1.95-9.87) than robust participants. The presence of cognitive impairment increased the risk of death in prefrail (HR 3.60, 95% CI, 1.55-8.34) and robust participants (HR 3.49, 95% CI, 1.22-9.96). Cognitive impairment was associated with an increased risk of incident ADL disability in all frailty categories. The presence of cognitive impairment was associated with a significantly higher risk of fall in robust seniors. The predictive accuracy of the FRAIL scale was lower than expected (between 0.58 and 0.69), and a small improvement was observed after adding the cognitive screening (between 0.61 and 0.72). CONCLUSION: Despite of significant results in predicting relevant clinical events, the present combination of the FRAIL and 10-CS scales may not be ideal in clinical practice.

Comparison of 3 Frailty Instruments in a Geriatric Acute Care Setting in a Low-Middle Income Country.

OBJECTIVE: Comparison of frailty instruments in low-middle income countries, where the prevalence of frailty may be higher, is scarce. In addition, less complex diagnostic tools for frailty are important in these settings, especially in acutely ill patients, because of limited time and economic resources. We aimed to compare the performance of 3 frailty instruments for predicting adverse outcomes after 1 year of follow-up in older adults with an acute event or a chronic decompensated disease. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Geriatric day hospital (GDH) specializing in acute care. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 534 patients (mean age 79.6 ± 8.4 years, 63% female, 64% white) admitted to the GDH. MEASUREMENTS: Frailty was assessed using the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) criteria, the Study of Osteoporotic Fracture (SOF) criteria, and the FRAIL (fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illnesses, and loss of weight) questionnaire. Monthly phone contacts were performed over the course of the first year to detect the following outcomes: incident disability, hospitalization, fall, and death. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models were performed to evaluate the association of the outcomes with frailty as defined by the 3 instruments. In addition, we compared the accuracy of these instruments for predicting the outcomes. RESULTS: Prevalence of frailty ranged from 37% (using FRAIL) to 51% (using CHS). After 1 year of follow-up, disability occurred in 33% of the sample, hospitalization in 40%, fall in 44%, and death in 16%. Frailty, as defined by the 3 instruments was associated with all outcomes, whereas prefrailty was associated with disability, using the SOF and FRAIL instruments, and with hospitalization using the CHS and SOF instruments. The accuracy of frailty to predict different outcomes was poor to moderate with area under the curve varying from 0.57 (for fall, with frailty defined by SOF and FRAIL) to 0.69 (for disability, with frailty defined by CHS). CONCLUSIONS: In acutely ill patients from a low-middle income country GDH acute care unit, the CHS, SOF, and FRAIL instruments showed similar performance in predicting adverse outcomes.

Feasibility, safety, acceptability, and functional outcomes of playing Nintendo Wii Fit Plus™ for frail elderly: study protocol for a feasibility trial.

BACKGROUND: Frailty can be defined as a medical syndrome with multiple causes and contributors, characterized by diminished strength and endurance and reduced physiological function that increases the vulnerability to develop functional dependency and/or death. Studies have shown that the most commonly studied exercise protocol for frail older adults is the multimodal training. Interactive video games (IVGs) involve tasks in virtual environments that combine physical and cognitive demands in an attractive and challenging way. The aim of this study will be to evaluate the feasibility, safety, acceptability, and functional outcomes of playing Nintendo Wii Fit PlusTM (NWFP) for frail older adults. METHODS/DESIGN: The study is a randomized controlled, parallel group, feasibility trial. Participants will be randomly assigned to the experimental group (EG) and control group (CG). The EG will participate in 14 training sessions, each lasting 50 min, twice a week. In each training session, the participants will play five games, with three attempts at each game. The first attempt will be performed with the assistance of a physical therapist to correct the movements and posture of the patients and subsequent attempts will be performed independently. Scores achieved in the games will be recorded. The participants will be evaluated by a blinded physical therapist at three moments: before and after intervention and 30 days after the end of the intervention (follow-up). We will assess the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and clinical outcomes (postural control, gait, cognition, quality of life, mood, and fear of falling). DISCUSSION: Due to the deficiencies in multiple systems, studies have shown that multimodal interventions including motor-cognitive stimulation can improve the mobility of frail elderly adults. IVGs, among them the NWFP, are considered as a multimodal motor-cognitive intervention that can potentially improve motor and cognitive functions in the frail elderly. However, there is still no evidence in the literature that proves the feasibility, safety, acceptability, and functional outcomes of this intervention in frail elderly individuals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (RBR-823rst). World Health Organization Trial Registration Data Set (Additional file 1).

Screening for Frailty With the FRAIL Scale: A Comparison With the Phenotype Criteria.

BACKGROUND: Reliable and valid frailty screening instruments are lacking. The aim of the present study was to compare the diagnostic properties of the FRAIL-BR with Fried's frailty phenotype (CHS), which has not been done. METHODS: Cross-sectional observational study of 124 older adults aged 60 or older from 2 university-based geriatric outpatient units in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. In ROC analyses, we evaluated different cutoff points and AUC areas of the FRAIL-BR compared with the CHS criteria. Also, components of both diagnostic strategies had head-to-head comparisons whenever possible. RESULTS: The sample was composed mostly of overweight (mean BMI = 29.5 kg/m2) women (83%) with mean age of 78.6 (±7.1) years. Prevalence of frailty varied according to the FRAIL-BR (23.3%) and the CHS criteria (14.5%) (P = .04). A cutoff of 3 points in the FRAIL-BR presented a sensitivity of 28% and specificity of 90% (P = .049). A cutoff of 2 points resulted in a sensitivity of 54% and specificity of 73% (P = .01). Comparisons of 4 FRAIL-BR items (ie, weight loss, aerobic capacity, fatigue, and physical resistance) to the respective CHS components showed an independent diagnostic property of all measures, with the exception for weight loss. CONCLUSION: The FRAIL scale can be used as a screening instrument for frailty (time and cost-effective).

Feasibility and Factor Structure of the FRAIL Scale in Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to (1) evaluate a geriatric outpatient sample with the FRAIL scale; (2) investigate the psychometric properties of the scale; and (3) characterize different associations of the subdimensions of the scale with demographic and clinical data. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. SETTING: Geriatric outpatient center a university-based hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 811 men and women aged 60 years or older evaluated between March 2015 and September 2015. MEASUREMENTS: A translated version of the FRAIL scale was used to evaluate frailty. A review of sociodemographic data, medical records, medication, and laboratory data was conducted. A multivariate ordinal logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between frailty categories and clinical variables. Exploratory factor analysis and 2-parameter logistic item response theory was used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the FRAIL scale. RESULTS: The sample was distributed as 13.6% robust, 48.7% prefrail, and 37.7% frail older adults. Most participants reported fatigue (72.3%). Frailty was associated with older age (P = .02), depression (P = .02), dementia (P < .001), and number of medications taken (P < .001). A 2-factor model of the FRAIL scale ("ambulation" and "resistance" namely physical performance; "fatigue," "weight loss," and "illnesses" namely health status) provided independent classifications of frailty status. Physical performance (ambulation and resistance) was strongly associated with higher age and dementia, whereas health status (fatigue, weight loss, and illnesses) was more associated with female sex and depression. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest the existence of 2 subdimensions of the scale, suggesting different pathways to frailty. Frailty was associated with older age, depression, dementia, and number of medications in this outpatient sample.