Department of Respiratory Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185, 9000, Ghent, Belgium,
Eur J Epidemiol. 2014 Jun;29(6):419-27. doi: 10.1007/s10654-014-9924-1. Epub 2014 Jun 17.
To investigate the prevalence of frailty in a Dutch elderly population and to identify adverse health outcomes associated with the frailty phenotype independent of the comorbidities. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses within the Rotterdam Study (the Netherlands), a prospective population-based cohort study in persons aged ≥55 years. Frailty was defined as meeting three or more of five established criteria for frailty, evaluating nutritional status, physical activity, mobility, grip strength and exhaustion. Intermediate frailty was defined as meeting one or two frailty criteria. Comorbidities were objectively measured. Health outcomes were assessed by means of questionnaires, physical examinations and continuous follow-up through general practitioners and municipal health authorities for mortality. Of 2,833 participants (median age 74.0 years, inter quartile range 9) with sufficiently evaluated frailty criteria, 163 (5.8 %) participants were frail and 1,454 (51.3 %) intermediate frail. Frail elderly were more likely to be older and female, to have an impaired quality of life and to have fallen or to have been hospitalized. 108 (72.0 %) frail participants had ≥2 comorbidities, compared to 777 (54.4 %) intermediate frail and 522 (44.8 %) non-frail participants. Adjusted for age, sex and comorbidities, frail elderly had a significantly increased risk of dying within 3 years (HR 3.4; 95 % CI 1.9-6.4), compared to the non-frail elderly. This study in a general Dutch population of community-dwelling elderly able to perform the frailty tests, demonstrates that frailty is common and that frail elderly are at increased risk of death independent of comorbidities.
调查荷兰老年人群中衰弱的流行情况，并确定与衰弱表型相关的不良健康结局，而不考虑合并症。方法：横断面和纵向分析（荷兰鹿特丹研究），这是一项针对≥55 岁人群的前瞻性基于人群的队列研究。衰弱的定义是符合五项衰弱标准中的三项或更多项，评估营养状况、身体活动、活动能力、握力和疲惫感。中度衰弱定义为符合一或两项衰弱标准。合并症通过客观测量。健康结局通过问卷、体格检查和通过全科医生和市卫生当局进行的连续随访来评估，评估指标为死亡率。在 2833 名（中位年龄 74.0 岁，四分位距 9）衰弱评估标准充分的参与者中，163 名（5.8%）参与者衰弱，1454 名（51.3%）参与者为中度衰弱。衰弱的老年人更可能年龄较大且为女性，生活质量受损，更易跌倒或住院。108 名（72.0%）衰弱参与者有≥2 种合并症，相比之下，777 名（54.4%）中度衰弱参与者和 522 名（44.8%）非衰弱参与者有≥2 种合并症。在调整年龄、性别和合并症后，与非衰弱老年人相比，衰弱老年人在 3 年内死亡的风险显著增加（HR 3.4；95%CI 1.9-6.4）。这项针对能够进行衰弱测试的荷兰一般社区居住的老年人群的研究表明，衰弱很常见，衰弱的老年人死亡风险增加，而与合并症无关。
