Table 7.
Characteristics of patients in validation cohort in each of the four frailty categories based on one year risk of unplanned admission or one year risk of death. Values are numbers (column percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Characteristics | Group 1: severe frailty | Group 2: moderate frailty | Group 3: mild frailty | Group 4: fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No of patients | 13 665 | 46 770 | 215 253 | 223 790 |
| Row % of total population | 2.74 | 9.36 | 43.10 | 44.80 |
| Men | 6142 (44.9) | 19 219 (41.1) | 104 867 (48.7) | 94 319 (42.1) |
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 86.1 (8.4) | 85.4 (7.6) | 78.2 (6.7) | 69.8 (3.9) |
| Mean (SD) Townsend deprivation score* | 0.4 (3.0) | 0.0 (3.0) | −0.3 (2.9) | −1.1 (2.7) |
| Mean (SD) body mass index | 26.0 (5.8) | 26.3 (5.4) | 27.4 (5.2) | 27.4 (4.6) |
| Age band (years): | ||||
| 65-69 | 694 (5.1) | 2032 (4.3) | 26 606 (12.4) | 121 904 (54.5) |
| 70-74 | 884 (6.5) | 2849 (6.1) | 37 271 (17.3) | 69 881 (31.2) |
| 75-79 | 1316 (9.6) | 4882 (10.4) | 54 995 (25.5) | 29 222 (13.1) |
| 80-84 | 2201 (16.1) | 8468 (18.1) | 57 188 (26.6) | 2783 (1.2) |
| ≥85 | 8570 (62.7) | 28 539 (61.0) | 39 193 (18.2) | 0 (0) |
| Smoking status: | ||||
| Non-smoker | 6000 (43.9) | 23 560 (50.4) | 104 320 (48.5) | 133 214 (59.5) |
| Former smoker | 5936 (43.4) | 18 503 (39.6) | 84 077 (39.1) | 72 028 (32.2) |
| Light smoker | 934 (6.8) | 2686 (5.7) | 14 853 (6.9) | 10 598 (4.7) |
| Moderate smoker | 447 (3.3) | 1189 (2.5) | 7325 (3.4) | 5238 (2.3) |
| Heavy smoker | 348 (2.5) | 832 (1.8) | 4678 (2.2) | 2712 (1.2) |
| Alcohol intake (units/day): | ||||
| Non-drinker | 9468 (69.3) | 28 232 (60.4) | 96 468 (44.8) | 62 754 (28.0) |
| <1 | 2486 (18.2) | 10 752 (23.0) | 62 990 (29.3) | 79 192 (35.4) |
| 1-2 | 817 (6.0) | 3924 (8.4) | 25 892 (12.0) | 38 876 (17.4) |
| 3-6 | 716 (5.2) | 3325 (7.1) | 26 157 (12.2) | 39 692 (17.7) |
| 7-9 | 105 (0.8) | 347 (0.7) | 2524 (1.2) | 2331 (1.0) |
| >9 | 73 (0.5) | 190 (0.4) | 1222 (0.6) | 945 (0.4) |
| Previous unplanned admissions in past 12 months: | ||||
| None | 2888 (21.1) | 25 293 (54.1) | 189 282 (87.9) | 222 311 (99.3) |
| 1 | 3856 (28.2) | 13 040 (27.9) | 21 480 (10.0) | 1458 (0.7) |
| 2 | 2763 (20.2) | 5280 (11.3) | 3820 (1.8) | 21 (0.0) |
| ≥3 | 4158 (30.4) | 3157 (6.8) | 671 (0.3) | 0 (0) |
| Clinical and social characteristics: | ||||
| Poor mobility | 8312 (60.8) | 18 188 (38.9) | 24 622 (11.4) | 4012 (1.8) |
| Living in a residential or nursing home | 2474 (18.1) | 4419 (9.4) | 2283 (1.1) | 99 (0.0) |
| Atrial fibrillation | 4864 (35.6) | 10 779 (23.0) | 21 261 (9.9) | 3825 (1.7) |
| Any cancer | 3436 (25.1) | 9081 (19.4) | 33 040 (15.3) | 9618 (4.3) |
| Asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 4756 (34.8) | 11 697 (25.0) | 41 269 (19.2) | 18 748 (8.4) |
| Congestive heart failure | 3795 (27.8) | 6585 (14.1) | 8701 (4.0) | 668 (0.3) |
| Cardiovascular disease | 8373 (61.3) | 21 867 (46.8) | 59 835 (27.8) | 14 850 (6.6) |
| Treated hypertension | 6310 (46.2) | 23 069 (49.3) | 110 750 (51.5) | 75 438 (33.7) |
| Chronic kidney disease | 1532 (11.2) | 2912 (6.2) | 4199 (2.0) | 234 (0.1) |
| Type 1 diabetes | 358 (2.6) | 697 (1.5) | 1901 (0.9) | 392 (0.2) |
| Type 2 diabetes | 3925 (28.7) | 10 350 (22.1) | 41 731 (19.4) | 17 903 (8.0) |
| Venous thromboembolism | 1857 (13.6) | 4300 (9.2) | 10 768 (5.0) | 3350 (1.5) |
| Epilepsy | 608 (4.4) | 1349 (2.9) | 3983 (1.9) | 1579 (0.7) |
| Leg ulcer | 2036 (14.9) | 4025 (8.6) | 6851 (3.2) | 1045 (0.5) |
| Chronic liver disease or pancreatitis | 535 (3.9) | 954 (2.0) | 2511 (1.2) | 587 (0.3) |
| Malabsorption (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, coeliac disease) | 213 (1.6) | 714 (1.5) | 3107 (1.4) | 2421 (1.1) |
| Parkinson’s disease | 850 (6.2) | 1487 (3.2) | 2549 (1.2) | 422 (0.2) |
| Peptic ulcer disease | 2519 (18.4) | 5778 (12.4) | 16 121 (7.5) | 6574 (2.9) |
| Osteoporosis | 2387 (17.5) | 6401 (13.7) | 16 969 (7.9) | 8314 (3.7) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 680 (5.0) | 1617 (3.5) | 5447 (2.5) | 2568 (1.1) |
| Learning disability | 803 (5.9) | 1507 (3.2) | 2110 (1.0) | 562 (0.3) |
| Dementia | 4484 (32.8) | 9726 (20.8) | 8251 (3.8) | 249 (0.1) |
| Bipolar disorder or schizophrenia | 306 (2.2) | 727 (1.6) | 2444 (1.1) | 784 (0.4) |
| Registered blind or impaired vision | 1287 (9.4) | 3148 (6.7) | 5422 (2.5) | 1352 (0.6) |
| Falls | 6895 (50.5) | 16 789 (35.9) | 33 768 (15.7) | 12 217 (5.5) |
| Current prescribed drugs: | ||||
| Anticoagulants | 2526 (18.5) | 7238 (15.5) | 18 577 (8.6) | 3102 (1.4) |
| Antidepressants | 5461 (40.0) | 15 267 (32.6) | 50 687 (23.5) | 24 707 (11.0) |
| Antipsychotics | 1524 (11.2) | 2666 (5.7) | 3947 (1.8) | 648 (0.3) |
| Corticosteroids | 3615 (26.5) | 8761 (18.7) | 27 963 (13.0) | 5993 (2.7) |
| Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs | 717 (5.2) | 3636 (7.8) | 37 369 (17.4) | 47 524 (21.2) |
| Symptoms recorded in past 12 months: | ||||
| Appetite loss | 267 (2.0) | 362 (0.8) | 410 (0.2) | 67 (0.0) |
| Weight loss | 564 (4.1) | 947 (2.0) | 1611 (0.7) | 419 (0.2) |
| Dyspnoea | 2724 (19.9) | 6811 (14.6) | 21 783 (10.1) | 4998 (2.2) |
| Syncope | 750 (5.5) | 1380 (3.0) | 2461 (1.1) | 854 (0.4) |
| Urinary incontinence | 550 (4.0) | 1047 (2.2) | 2314 (1.1) | 934 (0.4) |
| Urinary retention | 353 (2.6) | 453 (1.0) | 670 (0.3) | 157 (0.1) |
| Clinical values: | ||||
| Anaemia (haemoglobin <110 g/L) | 3399 (24.9) | 5322 (11.4) | 6572 (3.1) | 792 (0.4) |
| Abnormal liver function test result | 998 (7.3) | 1853 (4.0) | 5559 (2.6) | 1518 (0.7) |
| High platelet count | 523 (3.8) | 1027 (2.2) | 2399 (1.1) | 804 (0.4) |
*This is an area level continuous score based on patients’ postcode. A higher Townsend score implies a greater level of deprivation.