Clinical-functional frailty in elderly and risk assessment of developing sarcopenia

Abstract

Introduction: Older adults should be routinely screened for frailty, which threatens healthy aging. The Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index (IVCF-20) is a frailty screening tool that has been increasingly used, although little is known about its association with sarcopenia screening tools used in routine practice. Objective: This study evaluated the clinical-functional frailty in the elderly using the IVCF-20, seeking to determine its relationship with the risk of developing sarcopenia using sociodemographic data, clinical parameters and variables that make up the sarcopenia phenotype. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 40 community-dwelling older adults (73.4 ± 7.9 years, 75% female) who underwent the IVCF-20. In addition, they undergo calf circumference (CC), SARC-CalF, handgrip strength (HGS), Five-repetition Chair Stand Test (CS-5), and Timed Up and Go Test (TUG). According to the IVCF-20, 30%, 40% and 30% of participants were classified as robust, pre-vulnerable, and vulnerable, respectively. Results: The IVCF-20 score correlated strongly with the CS-5 (rs = 0.75, P = < 0.0001) and moderately with the TUG (rs = 0.67, P = < 0.0001) and the SARC-CalF (rs = 0.52, P = 0.0005). IVCF-20 was also associated with Caucasian race, physical inactivity, smoking history, orthopedic disease, heart disease, and neurological disease. There was no significant correlation of IVCF-20 with CC or HGS. The IVCF-20 categories were statistically different in terms of the following variables: age, height, SARC-CalF, CS-5, and TUG. Conclusion: This study concluded that, in community-dwelling older adults, there is a relationship between clinical-functional frailty assessed by the IVCF-20, sarcopenia, mobility, and body balance. Furthermore, there is a relationship between clinical-functional fragility and the burden of disease. Thus, the IVCF-20 can be considered an indicator of good health, health capacity, disease burden, and global functionality in older adults.