Table 1.
Comparison of patients’ characteristics based on frailty status
| Characteristics | Nonfrailty (n=140) | Prefrailty (n=81) | Frailty (n=159) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic | ||||
| Age (years) | 77.69±7.67 | 85.43±6.21* | 86.75±5.80Δ | <0.001a |
| Male (%) | 51 (57.9) | 43 (53.1) | 93 (58.5) | 0.710b |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.60±3.13 | 23.33±4.56 | 23.39±4.11 | 0.857a |
| Educational level (high/middle/low) (%) | 30.7/47.1/22.1 | 29.6/49.4/21.0 | 34.6/47.2/18.2 | 0.582b |
| Medical | ||||
| Cardiovascular disease (%) | 78 (55.7) | 45 (55.5) | 90 (56.6) | 0.173b |
| Cerebrovascular disease (%) | 33 (23.6) | 18 (22.2) | 30 (18.8) | 0.102b |
| Diabetes (%) | 15 (10.7) | 10 (12.3) | 19 (11.9) | 0.093b |
| Fall history (%) | 19 (13.6) | 17 (21.0) | 44 (27.7)Δ | 0.011b |
| Grip strength (kg) | 30.76±8.86 | 22.81±7.30* | 21.36±7.58Δ,# | <0.001a |
| Polypharmacy (%) | 50 (35.7) | 54 (66.7)* | 118 (74.2)Δ | <0.001b |
| MNA-SF | 13 (12–14) | 12 (11–14)* | 11 (10–13)Δ,# | <0.001c |
| ADL | 100 (100–100) | 100 (95–100) | 90 (75–100)Δ,# | <0.001c |
| IADL | 8 (8–8) | 7 (5–8)* | 3 (2–5)Δ,# | <0.001c |
| MMSE | 27 (25–29) | 25 (22–27)* | 23 (18–27)Δ | <0.001c |
| POMA | 26 (25–28) | 21 (17–24)* | 18 (15–23)Δ,# | <0.001c |
| Serum biomarkers | ||||
| TFN (g/L) | 2.37±0.30 | 2.08±0.28* | 2.06±0.26Δ | <0.001a |
| PA (mg/L) | 237.89±47.56 | 201.91±40.16* | 212.07±48.26Δ | <0.001a |
| TP (mg/L) | 69.88±4.43 | 66.02±5.23* | 62.76±4.60Δ | <0.001a |
| ALB (g/L) | 41.71±3.27 | 38.10±4.44* | 38.07±3.87 | <0.001a |
| RBP (mg/L) | 42.96±10.12 | 39.59±11.77 | 40.38±12.25 | 0.063a |
| Hb (g/L) | 125.45±8.73 | 119.54±12.25* | 117.33±11.83Δ | <0.001a |
Notes: Three groups were considered:
one-way ANOVA;
Pearson’s chi-squared test;
Kruskal–Walls test. Two groups were considered: LSD t-test (for normally distributed continuous data), chi-squared test (for categorical data), Mann–Whitney U-test (for nonnormally distributed continuous data).
P<0.05, prefrail vs nonfrail;
P<0.05, frail vs nonfrail;
P<0.05, frail vs prefrail.
Abbreviations: ADL, activities of daily living; ALB, albumin; BMI, body mass index; Hb, hemoglobin; IADL, instrumental ADL; MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination; MNA-SF, mini nutritional assessment-short form; PA, prealbumin; POMA, performance-oriented mobility assessment; RBP, retinol-binding protein; TNF, transferrin; TP, total protein.