Frailty Assessment in a Stable COPD Cohort: Is There a COPD-Frail Phenotype?

COPD. 2021 Sep 9:1-8. doi: 10.1080/15412555.2021.1975670. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe frailty syndrome increases the morbidity/mortality in older adults, and several studies have shown a higher prevalence of this syndrome in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to identify the characteristics of frail patients with COPD to define a new phenotype called "COPD-frail." We conducted a cross-sectional study in a cohort of patients with stable COPD, classified as either frail, pre-frail, or non-frail. Sociodemographic, clinical, and biochemical variables were compared between the three groups of patients. The study included 127 patients, of which 31 were frail, 64 were pre-frail, and 32 non-frail. All subjects had FEV1/FVC below the lower limit of normal (range Z-score: -1.66 and -5.32). Patients in the frail group showed significantly higher scores in the mMRC (modified Medical Research Council) scale, the CAT (COPD Assessment Test), and the BODE (Body mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea, and Exercise capacity) index. They also showed differences in symptoms according to GOLD (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease), as well as more COPD exacerbations, less physical activity, more anxiety and depression symptoms based on HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and lower hemoglobin, hematocrit, and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol levels. Variables with independent association with frailty included the mMRC ...
Source: COPD: Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Source Type: research