FIBRA Study Research Articles

Influence of blood pressure profile on frailty phenotype in community-dwelling elders in Brazil – FIBRA study

Frailty is a clinical condition associated with pathological aging and biological vulnerability. In the spectrum of events related to frailty, aging of the cardiocirculatory system and abnormalities in arterial blood pressure (BP) partly explain the changes in tissue perfusion and, potentially, the decrease in physiological reserves. This study investigated the relationship between BP levels, systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) and the frailty phenotype by analyzing frailty criteria in a cross-sectional model into the FIBRA network, a populational sample of community-dwelling elders in Southeastern Brazil. Study participants with ≥65 years were selected by probabilistic sampling of residents in the urban area of the municipality of Campinas (n=900). Considering frailty as a whole and the difference between genders, there was a greater proportion of frail or pre-frail individuals among women than men. Analysis of individual frailty criteria showed that weight loss and fatigue were more common among women (18.3% vs. 12.5%, p=0.034 and 22.5% vs. 11.9%, p<0.001, respectively). Comparison of individuals with or without SAH failed to reveal any differences related to frailty criteria. Nevertheless, averages of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial blood pressure values were lower among elderly individuals with reduced grip strength, physical activity and the frailty classification as a whole (OR 0.986, IC 0.975–0.997) (for every 1mmHg reduction in MBP values, the likelihood of being frail increased 1.4%). Our findings corroborate the relationship between BP values and frailty in the elderly and contribute to an understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of the syndrome.

Frailty criteria and cognitive performance are related: data from the FIBRA study in Ermelino Matarazzo, São Paulo, Brazil.

To assess the relationship between the CHS frailty criteria (Fried et al., 2001) and cognitive performance. Cross sectional and population-based. Ermelino Matarazzo, a poor sub district of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. 384 community dwelling older adults, 65 and older. Assessment of the CHS frailty criteria, the Brief Cognitive Screening Battery (memorization of 10 black and white pictures, verbal fluency animal category, and the Clock Drawing Test) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Frail older adults performed significantly lower than non-frail and pre frail elderly in most cognitive variables. Grip strength and age were associated to MMSE performance, age was associated to delayed memory recall, gait speed was associated to verbal fluency and CDT performance, and education was associated to CDT performance. Being frail may be associated with cognitive decline, thus, gerontological assessments and interventions should consider that these forms of vulnerability may occur simultaneously.

SP1-102 Oral status and its association with underweight and overweight/obesity in Brazilian independent-living older people

IntroductionEvidence suggests that tooth loss may lead to changes in food choice due to eating difficulties. The relationship between use of dental prosthesis and changes in body mass index among...

Depressive symptoms in old age: relations among sociodemographic and self-reported health variables

Depression in old age is a complex multifactorial phenomenon that is influenced by several biopsychosocial variables. Depressive symptoms are associated with the presence of chronic diseases, with being female, with low education and low income levels, and with poor perceived health assessment. In impoverished areas, older adults may have more physical disability, as they may have less access to health services. Therefore, they may be more likely to report depressive symptoms. Population-based cross-sectional research was undertaken using data from the FIBRA study conducted in Ermelino Matarazzo, a poor subdistrict of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The participants comprised 303 elderly people, aged 65 years and over, who attended a single-session data collection effort carried out at community centers. The protocol comprised sociodemographic and self-reported health variables, and the Geriatric Depression Scale. The majority of the subjects reported five or fewer symptoms of depression (79.21%), reported one or two self-reported chronic diseases (56.86%), declared themselves to have one or two self-reported health problems (46.15%), and had good perceived health assessment (40.27%). The presence of depressive symptoms was associated with a higher number of self-reported health problems, poor perceived health assessment, and lower schooling levels, in the total sample and in analyses including men only. For women, depressive symptoms were associated with the number of self-reported health problems and family income. The presence of health problems, such as falls and memory problems, lower perceived health, and low education (and low family income for women) were associated with a higher presence of depressive symptoms among elderly people in this poor area of São Paulo.