Frail Older Individuals Maintaining a Steady Standing Position: Associations Between Sway Measurements with Frailty Status Across Four Different Frailty Instruments.

Abstract

ObjectiveAn analysis of the relationships between static equilibrium parameters and frailty status and/or severity across four different frailty measures.DesignCross-sectional analysis.SettingGeriatric wards of a general hospital.ParticipantsOne hundred twenty-three geriatric inpatients comprising 70 women (56.5%) and 53 men (42.7%) with an age range of 68–95 years.MethodsThe variation in the center of pressure (CoP), ie, the length of sway, the area of sway, and the mean speed, was assessed for different positions/tasks: 1) wide standing with eyes open (WSEO); 2) wide standing with eyes closed (WSEC); 3) narrow standing with eyes open (NSEO) and 4) narrow standing with eyes closed (NSEC), using a force plate. Frailty status and/or frailty severity were evaluated using the frailty phenotype (FP), the clinical frailty scale (CFS), the 14-item frailty index based on a comprehensive geriatric assessment (FI-CGA), and a 47-item frailty index (FI).ResultsWSEO length of sway (FP, CFS, FI-CGA, FI), WSEO area of sway (FP, CFS, FI-CGA, FI), and WSEO mean speed (FP, CFS, FI-CGA, FI), WSEC length of sway (FP, FI-CGA, FI), WSEC area of sway (FP, FI-CGA, FI) and WSEC mean speed (FI-CGA, FI), NSEO length of sway (FP, FI-CGA, FI), NSEO area of sway (FP, CFS, FI-CGA, FI), and NSEO mean speed (FP, CFS, FI-CGA, FI), NSEC length of sway (FI-CGA, FI), NSEC area of sway (FI-CGA, FI) and NSEC mean speed (FI-CGA, FI) were associated with the frailty status and/or severity across the four different frailty instruments (all p < 0.05, respectively).ConclusionGreater fluctuations in CoP with increasing frailty status and/or severity were a uniform finding across various major frailty instruments.