For Healthcare Providers

Use of the frailty index in evaluating the prognosis of older people in Beijing: A cohort study with an 8-year follow-up

L. Ma, L. Zhang, Z. Tang, et al.

Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2016 ;64:172-7

The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of frailty and determine if the frailty index, a comprehensive geriatric assessment, was associated with the prognosis of older people in a Chinese population.

Results obtained suggests that the frailty index increases with age, and may be a significant tool for evaluation of the prognosis of older people in China.

 

Sarcopenia Is Associated With Lower Skeletal Muscle Capillarization and Exercise Capacity in Older Adults

S.J. Prior, A.S. Ryan, J.B. Blumenthal, et al.

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2016;71(8):1096-101

In this study was tested the hypothesis that skeletal muscle capillarization and exercise capacity (VO2max) are lower in sarcopenic than in nonsarcopenic older adults and that the degree of sarcopenia is related to lower skeletal muscle capillarization.

Results obtained suggest that low skeletal muscle capillarization is one factor that may contribute to sarcopenia and reduced exercise capacity in older adults by limiting diffusion of substrates, oxygen, hormones, and nutrients.

 

Computed tomography abbreviated assessment of sarcopenia following trauma: The CAAST measurement predicts 6-month mortality in older adult trauma patients

C.M. Leeper, E. Lin , M. Hoffman, et al.

J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2016;80(5):805-11

Older adult trauma patients are at increased risk of poor outcome, both immediately after injury and beyond hospital discharge. Identifying patients early in the hospital stay who are at increased risk of death after discharge can be challenging.

Results suggest that sarcopenia is a strong predictor of 6-month postdischarge mortality for older adults. The CAAST measurement is an efficient and inexpensive measure that can allow clinicians to target older trauma patients at risk of poor outcome for early intervention and/or palliative care services.

 

Does vibration training reduce the fall risk profile of frail older people admitted to a rehabilitation facility? A randomised controlled trial

J. Parsons, S. Mathieson, A. Jull, et al.

Disabil Rehabil. 2016;38(11):1082-8

This paper aimed to determine the effect of Vibration Training (VT) on functional ability and falls risk among a group of frail older people admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation unit in a regional hospital in New Zealand.

Among older people admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation facility there may be some beneficial effect to the use of VT in conjunction with usual care physiotherapy in terms of improved functional ability.

 

Polypharmacy as a Risk Factor for Clinically Relevant Sarcopenia: Results From the Berlin Aging Study II

M. König, D. Spira, I. Demuth, et al.

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2017;73(1):117-122

This study have shown an independent association between polypharmacy and clinically relevant sarcopenia, based on the ALM/BMI-cutoffs defined by the FNIH sarcopenia project.

 

Depression and frailty in later life: a systematic review

L. Vaughan, A.L. Corbin, J.S. Goveas

Clin Interv Aging . 2015;10:1947-58

Frailty and depression are important issues affecting older adults. Depressive syndrome may be difficult to clinically disambiguate from frailty in advanced old age. This review examined the published literature on cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between frailty and depressive symptomatology.

Prospective relationship between depressive symptomatology and increased risk of incident frailty was robust, while the opposite relationship was less conclusive. The presence of comorbidities that interact with depressive symptomatology increased incident frailty risk.

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