Frailty in elderly COPD patients a cross-sectional study
Keywords:
pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive, chronic disease, frailty, frail elderly, disease exacerbation, physiological phenomena, hospitalization, pulmonary function tests, public healthArticle Sidebar
Main Article Content
Objective
This study aimed to determine frailty prevalence among patients aged ≥65 diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and investigate its relationship with disease severity, hospitalization rates, and acute exacerbation frequency.
Methods
This cross-sectional study evaluated 112 elderly patients with COPD. Patient records, pulmonary function tests, Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scores, COPD Assessment Test (CAT) scores, and the previous year's exacerbations and hospitalizations were analyzed. Frailty was assessed using the FRAIL scale.
Results
Frailty prevalence was 49.1% (55/112). A significant negative correlation was found between FRAIL and FEV1% values (rs: -0.695, 95% CI: -0.782 to -0.581, p <0.001). Conversely, FRAIL scores correlated positively with CAT (rs: 0.840, 95% CI: 0.773 to 0.888, p <0.001) and mMRC values (rs: 0.733, 95% CI: 0.631 to 0.811, p <0.001). Significant differences in CAT, mMRC, and FEV1% were observed between high and low frailty groups. COPD exacerbations and hospitalizations were significantly higher in patients with higher FRAIL scores (p <0.001).
Conclusion
The FRAIL scale is strongly associated with higher rates of exacerbations and hospitalizations in elderly COPD patients, reflecting increased disease severity and poorer clinical outcomes.
Mustafa Ilteris Bardakci, University of Health Sciences
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9038-4049
University of Health Sciences, Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Department of Chest Diseases, Istanbul, Turkey.
Fatih Ozcelik, University of Health Sciences
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2439-3964
University of Health Sciences, Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Istanbul, Turkey.
Mihriban Simsek, Birecik State Hospital
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5213-7234
Birecik State Hospital, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Sanliurfa, Turkey.
Gulhan Ayhan Albayrak, University of Health Sciences
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1802-3844
University of Health Sciences, Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Department of Chest Diseases, Istanbul, Turkey.
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