A link between systemic low-grade inflammation and frailty in older adults: clinical evidence from a nationwide population-based study

Bibliographic Details
Title: A link between systemic low-grade inflammation and frailty in older adults: clinical evidence from a nationwide population-based study
Authors: Min-gu Kang, Hee-Won Jung, Beom-Jun Kim
Source: The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine, Vol 39, Iss 6, Pp 1011-1020 (2024)
Publisher Information: The Korean Association of Internal Medicine, 2024.
Publication Year: 2024
Collection: LCC:Medicine
Subject Terms: inflammation, frailty, high sensitivity c-reactive protein, sarcopenia, Medicine
More Details: Background/Aims Despite the possible role of systemic low-grade inflammation on frailty, the majority of previous studies have focused solely on the phenotypic frailty with limited participant numbers, thereby weakening the evidence supporting the notion that circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) could be a potential frailty biomarker. Methods This study is a nationally representative, population-based, cross-sectional analysis from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, involving 5,359 participants aged 65 and older. We generated a deficit accumulation frailty index (FI) based on 38 items, encompassing physical, cognitive, psychological, and social status. Frailty was classified as non-frail (FI ≤ 0.15), pre-frail (0.15 < FI ≤ 0.25), or frail (FI > 0.25). Serum high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) levels were measured by immunoturbidometric method. Results After adjusting for confounders including age, sex, income, education, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, stroke, cardiovascular diseases, and body mass index, serum hsCRP levels were 29.4% higher in frail participants compared to their non-frail counterparts (p = 0.001). Additionally, circulating hsCRP concentrations positively correlated with the FI (p = 0.003), and the odds ratio for frailty per standard deviation increase in serum hsCRP was 1.18 (p = 0.001). Moreover, older adults in the highest hsCRP quartile exhibited a significant higher FI with a 1.59-fold increased odds ratio for frailty than those in the lowest quartile (p = 0.002 and 0.001, respectively). Conclusions These findings validate the impact of age-related systemic low-grade inflammation on frailty and support the utility of serum hsCRP as a potential biomarker for detecting frailty in older adults.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1226-3303
2005-6648
Relation: http://www.kjim.org/upload/kjim-2024-050.pdf; https://doaj.org/toc/1226-3303; https://doaj.org/toc/2005-6648
DOI: 10.3904/kjim.2024.050
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/ba1150234a0a4d688a57815fe3cb6280
Accession Number: edsdoj.ba1150234a0a4d688a57815fe3cb6280
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:12263303
20056648
DOI:10.3904/kjim.2024.050
Published in:The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine
Language:English