Table 1.
Baseline characterisitcs of study participants
| Prefrail (n = 50) | Frail (n = 26) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | Mean (SD) | 74.9 (4.4) | 78.1 (5.8)* |
| Ethnicity (white) | n (%) | 50 (100) | 26 (100) |
| Gender (female) | n (%) | 30 (60.0) | 16 (61.5) |
| Weight (kg) | Mean (SD) | 75.4 (15.5) | 79.2 (13.5) |
| Body Mass Index (kg/m2) | Mean (SD) | 26.5 (3.6) | 28.9 (4.2)* |
| Diastolic Blood Pressure (mmHg) | Mean (SD) | 76.6 (7.9) | 79.0 (11.4) |
| Systolic Blood Pressure (mmHg) | Mean (SD) | 139.3 (16.9) | 145.9 (19.6) |
| Pulse rate (bpm) | Mean (SD) | 71.7 (9.8) | 72 (11.9) |
| MMSE score (/30)a | Mean (SD) | 28.0 (3.0) | 23 (2.0)*** |
| MNA SF score (/14)b | Mean (SD) | 13.0 (1.0) | 13 (1.0) |
| Good nutritrional status | n (%) | 43 (87.8) | 23 (88.5) |
| Risk of malnutition | n (%) | 6 (12.2) | 3 (11.5) |
| Malnourished | n (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| IADL score (/8)c | Mean (SD) | 7.0 (1.0) | 7.0 (2.0) |
| EQ-5D dimension (no problem)df | |||
| Mobility | n (%) | 34 (70.8) | 7 (28.0) |
| Self Care | n (%) | 47 (97.9) | 18 (72.0) |
| Usual Activity | n (%) | 38 (79.2) | 13 (52.0) |
| Pain/Discomfort | n (%) | 28 (58.3) | 6 (24.0) |
| Anxiety/Depression | n (%) | 38 (79.2) | 20 (80.0) |
| EQ-VAS scoree | Mean (SD) | 80.0 (14.0) | 68.0 (15.0)*** |
| Frailty criteriaf | |||
| Feeling of exhaustion | n (%) | 32 (66.7) | 23 (92.0) |
| Low grip strength | n (%) | 20 (41.7) | 19 (76.0) |
| Low physical activity | n (%) | 4 (8.3) | 13 (52.0) |
| Low walking speed | n (%) | 17 (35.4) | 20 (80.0) |
| Involuntary recent weight Lossf | n (%) | 5 (10.4) | 5 (20.0) |
| Domestic statusf | |||
| Alone | n (%) | 17 (34.0) | 17 (65.4) |
| In couple | n (%) | 32 (64.0) | 9 (34.6) |
| Dependent | n (%) | 2 (4.0) | 4 (15.4) |
| Tobacco use | |||
| Never | n (%) | 31 (62.0) | 14 (53.8) |
| Former | n (%) | 14 (28.0) | 11 (42.3) |
| Current | n (%) | 5 (10.0) | 1 (3.8) |
| Alcohol consumption | |||
| Never | n (%) | 19 (38.0) | 12 (46.2) |
| Former | n (%) | 4 (8.0) | 3 (11.5) |
| Current | n (%) | 27 (54.0) | 11 (42.3) |
| Blood biochemistry | |||
| AST (U/L) | Mean (SD) | 25.4 (7.1) | 22.0 (5.9) * |
| Albumin (g/dl) | Mean (SD) | 4.2 (0.3) | 4.2 (0.3) |
| Total Protein (g/L) | Mean (SD) | 69.0 (4.1) | 67.9 (3.7) |
| Creatinin (mg/dl) | Mean (SD) | 0.9 (0.3) | 0.9 (0.3) |
| Glucose (mg/dl) | Mean (SD) | 101.1 (23.3) | 105.5 (20.8) |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | Mean (SD) | 14.0 (1.3) | 14.0 (1.0) |
| Hematocrit (%) | Mean (SD) | 42.5 (3.2) | 42.8 (3.1) |
| IgG (g/L) | Mean (SD) | 10.5 (2.1) | 10.2 (1.6) |
| Hs-CRP (mg/l) | Mean (SD) | 2.8 (2.5) | 5.3 (8.0) |
| Hematology | |||
| Platelets (%) | Mean (SD) | 240.9 (55.5) | 241.0 (58.7) |
| Erythrocytes (10E12/L) | Mean (SD) | 4.5 (0.4) | 4.6 (0.3) |
| Basophil (%) | Mean (SD) | 0.6 (0.3) | 0.5 (0.2) |
| Eosinophil (%) | Mean (SD) | 3.7 (2.2) | 3.1 (2.4) |
| Neutrophils (%) | Mean (SD) | 57.8 (8.9) | 60.4 (10.8) |
| Monocytes (%) | Mean (SD) | 7.9 (2.0) | 8.3 (2.6) |
| Lymphocytes (%) | Mean (SD) | 28.8 (8.2) | 26.9 (8.7) |
| Leucocytes(10E9/L) | Mean (SD) | 6.2 (1.8) | 6.4 (1.6) |
| Flu vaccinated previous yearf | n (%) | 37 (77.1) | 19 (76.0) |
aMini Mental State Examination. Score > 24 = normal cognition, 19–23 = mild cognitive impairment, 10–18 = moderate and <9 = severe. bMini Nutritional Assessment Short Form. Score from 12 to 14 = good nutritional status, 8–11 = at risk of manutrition and 0–7 = malnourished. cInstrumental Activities of Daily Living. Score from 0 = low (person very dependent) to 8 = high (person independent). dEQ-5D: EuroQoL 5 dimensions. Data correspond to the health state description “Having no problems” in the following 5 dimensions: Mobility = walking ability, Self-care dimension = ability to wash or dress by oneself, Usual activities = performance in work, study, housework, family or leisure activities, Pain/Discomfort = pain or discomfort, Anxiety/Depression = anxiety or depression. eEQ-VAS: Visual Analogue Scale. Self evaluation of health status on the day of the interview. Score from 0 = low (worst imaginable health state) to 100 = high (best imaginable health state). fRefers to data with Prefrail (n = 48) and Frail (n = 25). *, p < 0.05; ***, p < 0.001