Abstract
Patients with diagnosed frailty syndrome (FS) represent a special group of patients with chronic disease. In the classic definition, frailty syndrome includes such parameters as reduced muscle strength, subjective feeling of fatigue, unintentional weight loss, slow gait, and low physical activity. Frailty syndrome leads to an increased incidence of adverse events, such as falls, hospitalizations, and the need to place patients in care and health institutions associated with the loss of independence; frailty syndrome is also associated with an increased incidence of death. In European countries, the frequency of frailty syndrome in the geriatric population is estimated to be 17% with a range from 5.8% to 27%, and its incidence increases with age. A much higher percentage of frailty syndrome patients is also observed among hospitalized patients. The incidence of frailty syndrome is influenced by many socio-economic factors, but also medical factors. Materials and Methods: A total of 120 patients, >65 years of age, participated in the study. During the study, anthropometric measurements, surveys, laboratory determinations of basic biochemical parameters, and iron status were investigated; 5 mL of peripheral blood in EDTA was also collected for further laboratory tests of hepcidin and soluable transferrin receptor (sTfR) using ELISA. Then, the statistical analysis was performed based on survey and clinical data. Results: Among the patients >65 years of age, the incidence of frailty syndrome was 27.5%. It was found that its occurrence was associated with socio-economic factors, malnutrition, multiple morbidities, reduced muscle strength and gait speed, and polypharmacotherapy. The relationship between reduced iron concentration and the occurrence of frailty syndrome was confirmed. Conclusions: According to the analysis, it was found that a decrease in iron concentration was associated with frailty syndrome.
Highlights
People in Poland aged >65 years old can expect to live less than half their lives in health [1]
An extremely important element that coexists with frailty syndrome is anemia, most often anemia of chronic diseases and deficiency, mainly related to iron deficiency
This study found an association between decreased hemoglobin level and the severity of frailty syndrome
Summary
People in Poland aged >65 years old can expect to live less than half their lives in health (men 7.5 years, i.e., 47% and women 8.1 years, i.e., 40%) [1]. Frailty syndrome leads to an increased incidence of adverse events such as falls, hospitalizations, and institutionalizations, which are associated with loss of independence and affect increased mortality [4]. In the older adults >65 years old, iron deficiency anemia, which is one of the most frequent health problems in older adults, is most closely associated with an increase in IL-6 [6] and low-grade active inflammation [7]. Identifying iron deficiency has become an increasing problem due to age-related changes in hemoglobin, the effects of prescribed medications on age-related disorders and diseases, and increased levels of inflammation-related ferritin and hepcidin [10,11]. Anemia of chronic diseases, which includes the presence of low-intensity chronic inflammation, for example, in rheumatic, cancer and infectious diseases [14] might be associated with frailty syndrome as well. Iron dysregulation seems to be an important link in the complex problem of developing frailty syndrome
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