BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Chronological age often guides the management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Frailty and sarcopenia, which are related but distinct entities that become increasingly prevalent with age, better predict nonsurgical and surgical outcomes in various chronic illnesses. We conducted a systematic review to assess the association between frailty or sarcopenia and adverse nonsurgical outcomes in adult patients with IBD.

METHODS

Through a systematic literature review of 4 online databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and CINAHL Plus), we identified 16 studies that focused on frailty or sarcopenia and nonsurgical outcomes in IBD. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to determine the quality of included studies.

RESULTS

We identified 16 studies: 8 frailty-based and 8 sarcopenia-based studies (14 high-quality and 2 low-quality studies). All results were presented in a summarized narrative format. Frailty predicted all hospitalization-related outcomes (hospitalization, readmission, and length of stay) and mortality-related outcomes. The outcomes of therapeutic efficacy, need for therapy escalation, and infections had mixed results in relation to their association with frailty or sarcopenia. The data regarding sarcopenia and hospitalizations were also equivocal.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review supports the use of frailty indices to predict hospitalization- and mortality-related outcomes in adult patients with IBD. Future research should focus on identifying and validating frailty and sarcopenia tools in IBD to better help predict adverse clinical outcomes and response to therapy.