Abstract
Abstract Background Cognitive impairment and frailty are important problems affecting the elderly population. Frail elderly present worse overall cognitive performance. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate general and domain-specific cognitive performance among non-frail, pre-frail, and frail elderly persons. Methods This is a cross-sectional study in which 267 elderly persons living in Sao Carlos, SP were divided into three groups according to the frailty criteria defined by Fried et al. Cognitive performance was evaluated with a battery of cognitive tests covering domains such as memory, attention, language, and executive functioning. A multinomial logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, gender, and education was performed to evaluate the association between performance in cognitive domains and levels of frailty. Results Frailty was significantly associated with lower scores on the global cognitive test (RRR = 0.86; IC 95% 0.78-0.96; p < 0.01), word list memory (RRR = 0.92; IC 95% 0.86-0.99; p = 0.02), and figure list recognition (RRR = 0.78; IC 95% 0.62-0.99; p = 0.04). Pre-frailty was associated with lower scores on the word list memory (RRR = 0.92; IC 95% 0.86-1.00; p = 0.04) and naming test (RRR = 0.82; IC 95% 0.69-0.99; p = 0.03). Discussion Frailty syndrome can influence general cognition and specific domains such as memory and language. Prospective studies will be fundamental to evaluate the causal relation between frailty and cognition.
Highlights
Cognitive impairment is becoming more prevalent in older persons, and the consequences of dementia for this population are an increasingly worrying public health issue[1]
Frailty was significantly associated with lower scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (RRR = 0.86; IC 95% 0.78-0.96; p < 0.01), CERAD word list memory (RRR = 0.92; IC 95% 0.86-0.99; p = 0.02), and Brief Cognitive Screening Battery (BCSB) figure list recognition (RRR = 0.78; IC 95% 0.62-0.99; p = 0.04)
Participants in the frail group were more likely to be women and have advanced age and low education level. This result is compatible with those from other studies evaluating the frailty syndrome in elderly persons[28,29]. This profile of frail elderly persons may be explained by the feminization of ageing and a significant physiological loss following this process, which may contribute to the emergence of the frailty syndrome in this population[5]
Summary
Cognitive impairment is becoming more prevalent in older persons, and the consequences of dementia for this population are an increasingly worrying public health issue[1]. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate general and domain-specific cognitive performance among non-frail, pre-frail, and frail elderly persons. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which 267 elderly persons living in São Carlos, SP were divided into three groups according to the frailty criteria defined by Fried et al Cognitive performance was evaluated with a battery of cognitive tests covering domains such as memory, attention, language, and executive functioning. Results: Frailty was significantly associated with lower scores on the global cognitive test (RRR = 0.86; IC 95% 0.780.96; p < 0.01), word list memory (RRR = 0.92; IC 95% 0.86-0.99; p = 0.02), and figure list recognition (RRR = 0.78; IC 95% 0.62-0.99; p = 0.04). Discussion: Frailty syndrome can influence general cognition and specific domains such as memory and language. Prospective studies will be fundamental to evaluate the causal relation between frailty and cognition
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
