Table 1.
Studies of Age and Frailty in Lung Disease
| Chronological Age Older age was commonly associated with frailty in lung disease | |
|---|---|
| Patient Population | Finding |
| Older adults, some of whom had spirometrically defined lung disease | Age increased across the 3 levels of frailty (70.8±3.8 not-frail, 71.9±4.3 pre-frail, 73.8±4.2 frail, p<0.001)1 |
| COPD | Age was associated with higher odds of frailty (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02–1.08 per year)2 |
| COPD | Frail patients were older compared with those who were pre-frail or not frail (67.4±8.1 not frail, 69±9.6 pre-frail, 72.6±10 frail, p<0.001)3 |
| ILD | Age predicted frailty (every decade increase in age associated with an increase in FI by 0.044; R2 = 0.42, p = 0.04)4 |
| COPD | Age was associated with higher odds of frailty (OR 1.07, p<0.001)5 |
| COPD | Frail patients were older compared to those who were not (61.1±10.1 not-frail vs 72.6±5.8 frail, p=0.021)6 |
| COPD | Age was not significantly associated with higher odds of frailty (aOR 1.1, p=0.1)7 |
| COPD | Age tended to increase as frailty severity worsened (mild, moderate, severe) (69.4±9.4 years not-frail; 70.3±6.9 years mild frailty; 71.6±11.5 years moderate frailty; 75.6±6.7 years severe frailty, p=0.118)8 |
| COPD | Older age was not significantly associated with higher odds of frailty (OR 1.65, 95% CI .82–3.33)9 |
| ILD | Differences in age were not significant among those who were frail compared to those who were not (mean age 59±7 years not-frail vs 57±8 years frail, p-value NR)10 |
| Lung transplant candidates | Differences in age were not significant among those who were frail compared to those who were not (SPPB: 59 (50–65) frail vs. 59 (50–65) not frail, p=0.86; FFP 58 (46–63) frail vs. 59 (50–65) not frail, p=0.11)11 |
| Lung transplant candidates | Differences in age were not significant among those who were frail compared to those who were not (57.5 years [IQR 51–62.8] not frail vs 56 years [IQR 51.8–61.5], p =0.95)12 |
| COPD | Frail patients were younger compared to those who were not (mean age 63.7 ± 8.2 frail vs 67.1 ± 7.1 not-frail,p <0.001)13 |
| Biological Aging There is insufficient study of the relationship between frailty and markers of biological aging in lung disease | |
| ILD | Telomere length was not correlated with FI (r=0.04, p=0.57)14 |
*
COPD= chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; FI= frailty index; ILD= interstitial lung disease; IQR= interquartile range; NR= not reported; OR= odds ratio