We assessed the nutritional status and physical function of 121 women (79.4 +/- 6.6 y, 26.8 +/- 5.6 kg/m2) and 61 men (78.6 +/- 8.3 y, 26.6 +/- 4.7 kg/m2) participating in the Geriatric Day Hospital. According to a composite index of malnutrition, 19% of them were found malnourished whereas the Mini-Nutritional Assessment, a validated nutritional screening tool, found that 56% of the elderly were malnourished or at risk for malnutrition. Malnourished persons, as determined by the composite index, had a lower lean body mass (LBM) by bioelectrical impedance analysis compared with the well-nourished group (40.5 +/- 9.7 vs. 42.0 +/- 8.7 kg, p = 0.0001). LBM correlated significantly with handgrip strength (r = 0.34, p = 0.0001) but not with gait speed (r = 0.04, p = 0.27). There were no significant differences between nutritional states for any of the two tests of physical function. The score of the MNA, correlated with gait speed (r = 0.24, p = 0.02) but the performance at the physical tests was not different according to the nutritional status defined by this tool. We conclude that malnutrition is relatively prevalent among frail persons participating in the Geriatric Day Hospital and that malnutrition is one among many other factors that contribute to their low level of physical performance. As such, a nutritional intervention may be of benefit in improving the physical function of frail elderly persons who are malnourished.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Vita. "August 2007" Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [177]-189).

Orientador: André Fattori / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-23T03:54:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Santimaria_MarianaReis_M.pdf: 28450698 bytes, checksum: 2e1055cfe2400d22b7a31841a19cfc4b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: O resumo poderá ser visualizado no texto completo da tese digital / Abstract: The abstract is available with the full electronic document / Mestrado / Gerontologia / Mestra em Gerontologia

Orientador: Maria José D'Elboux / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Enfermagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T08:50:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silva_VanessaAbreuda_D.pdf: 2181192 bytes, checksum: f2b09456b1f7e48f3b035d252adb01da (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar os desfechos e fatores associados à síndrome da fragilidade de idosos atendidos em serviço de geriatria de um hospital escola. Trata-se de um estudo quantitativo, comparativo e com delineamento longitudinal, integrante da pesquisa maior intitulada "Qualidade de vida em idosos: indicadores de fragilidade e de bem-estar subjetivo", que compreende duas fases. Na Fase 1 (2005-2007), foram avaliados 150 idosos em acompanhamento no ambulatório de geriatria. Na Fase 2 (2013), os idosos foram novamente contatados, por telefone ou visita domiciliar, e submetidos, após o consentimento, a uma entrevista para a coleta de dados sociodemográficos, de saúde e funcionalidade. Foi adotado o fenótipo de fragilidade de Fried et al., 2001. Os desfechos estudados foram: queda, hospitalização, comorbidade e óbito. Na fase 2, dos 150 idosos participantes da primeira fase, 71 evoluíram a óbito e 25 foram excluídos. Assim, a amostra contou com 54 idosos respondentes, com predomínio do sexo feminino e idade igual ou superior a 80 anos. No que diz respeito à saúde e à funcionalidade, houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre todas as variáveis estudadas, com exceção do número de hospitalizações e do número de quedas. É notável o declínio da funcionalidade desses idosos, avaliada por meio dos instrumentos: SPPB, MIF e AIVD, cujas médias dos seus escores reduziram significativamente. O estado cognitivo também apresentou diferença estatística com redução da média do escore do MEEM na fase 2 (p<0,001). Quanto à fragilidade, houve aumento na média do número de critérios (3,83) quando comparados à fase 1 (2,43), e a maioria dos idosos pontuou para todos os critérios de fragilidade, com exceção para o critério "perda de peso não intencional". Houve aumento na proporção de idosos classificados como frágeis (50,0% fase 1 e 88,9% fase 2) e nenhum idoso foi considerado não frágil. O desfecho queda (fase 2) associou-se a hospitalização e com os critérios de fragilidade exaustão e perda de peso não-intencional na fase 1. O idoso que relatou hospitalização na fase 1 teve maior risco de hospitalização na fase 2. Do mesmo modo o desfecho comorbidade (Índice de Comorbidade de Charlson) foi associado a própria comorbidade na fase 1. Sobre o desfecho óbito verificou-se diferença significativa para a variável idade, níveis de fragilidade, comorbidade e o critério de fragilidade baixo nível de atividade física. Este estudo longitudinal proporcionou maior conhecimento sobre os eventos adversos da síndrome da fragilidade em idosos em acompanhamento ambulatorial / Abstract: This study aimed to analyze the outcomes and factors related to the frailty syndrome in a population of elderly patients treated in the outpatient geriatric service of a teaching hospital. This quantitative, comparative and longitudinal study is part of the larger research project "Quality of life in the elderly: frailty and subjective welfare indicators", conducted at the Geriatric Clinic of the Hospital of the State University of Campinas. This study used a convenience sample and had two phases (Phase 1 and 2). In Phase 1 (2005-2007),150 elderly patients followed up at the geriatric clinic were assessed. In Phase 2 (2013), the elderly were contacted again by phone or home visit and, after their consent, they were interviewed to collect sociodemographic and health data. Moreover, frailty was assessed according to the frailty criteria defined by Fried et al. (2001). The following events were considered as outcomes: fall, hospitalization, comorbidity and death. In Phase 2, of the 150 participants in Phase1, 71 died and 25 were excluded. Thus, Phase 2 sample had 54 respondents, predominantly women, and the rate of 80-year-old or older patients almost doubled (34% in Phase 1 and 64.4% in Phase 2). Concerning health and functionality, there was a statistically significant difference between all variables under study, except for number of hospitalizations and number of falls. The decline of functionalityis marked among these elderly and it was assessed using the tools SPPB, FIM and IADL, whose average scores decreased considerably. The cognitive state also showed a statistical difference, with a decrease in the average MMSE score in Phase 2 (p<0.001). As to frailty, the average number of criteria increased in Phase 2 (3.83) when compared to Phase 1 (2.43), and most of the elderly scored on all frailty criteria, except for "unintentional weight loss". The rate of the elderly classified as frail increased (50% in Phase1 and 88.9% in Phase 2) and none of the elderly was considered as non-frail. The outcome fall (Phase 2) was related to hospitalization and to the frailty criteria "exhaustion" and "unintentional weight loss" in Phase 1. Also was observed that the elderly who were hospitalized in Phase 1 were at a higher risk of hospitalization in Phase 2. As regards the outcome comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index), the variable associated was comorbidity itself. Concerning the outcome death, we observed a significant difference in age, levels of frailty, comorbidity, and in the frailty criterion "low level of physical activity". This longitudinal study provided a more comprehensive knowledge of the adverse events of the frailty syndrome in the elderly followed up at an outpatient geriatric clinic. Therefore, we expect to contribute to more efficient public policies for the elderly population, considering the phenomenon of population aging and the magnitude of the frailty syndrome / Doutorado / Enfermagem e Trabalho / Doutora em Ciências da Saúde

No description available.

No description available.

Frailty is defined as a biological syndrome marked by reduced physiological reserve and heightened vulnerability to stressors, leading to adverse health outcomes like dependency, functional impairment, cognitive decline, and mortality. While various conditions have been associated with frailty, oral health is one of them. However, the precise relationship and the underlying pathways through which oral health conditions may be associated with frailty remain unclear. Limitations such as small sample sizes, inadequate control for confounders, inconsistent results across studies, and variations in frailty assessment methods have contributed to the inconclusiveness of this relationship. Considering these limitations, this dissertation intends to address them by using a rigorous cohort with a robust design, which will allow for a larger sample size, appropriate confounder assessment, and the opportunity to create a practical frailty index (FI) using data from this cohort. This approach enables a comprehensive investigation of the association between clinical, functional, and microbiological oral health and frailty, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally (12 years of follow-up). Furthermore, this study aims to conduct an initial exploration of the mediating effects of inflammatory biomarkers in this relationship.Three specific aims were pursued to achieve this goal. Firstly, a systematic review was conducted to critically summarize the existing evidence on the association between poor oral health and frailty, assessed through any frailty index instrument. Subsequently, two analytical aims were undertaken to delve into the association between oral health and frailty. The initial analytical aim comprised two parts. The first part focused on creating and validating a population frailty index score using data from the Oral Infections and Vascular Disease Epidemiology Study (INVEST). The second part aimed to investigate, cross-sectionally, whether poor oral health independent of factors such as sex, age, occupation, educational level, marital status, and smoking is positively associated with frailty. Additionally, the study aimed to test the robustness and replicability of both the FI and the cross-sectional relationship, utilizing a smaller set of oral data from the Chilean National Health Survey conducted in 2016-2017. The second analytical aim was to explore the prospective association between oral health – assessed clinically, functionally, and microbiologically- and frailty, using the INVEST cohort with its 12 years of follow-up and repeated measures for the exposure, confounders and outcome. As a secondary aim, we explored the mediating effects of select inflammatory biomarkers in this relationship. The systematic review identified 11 studies that investigated the relationship between oral health and frailty, utilizing the FI as an instrument for assessing frailty. All these studies were cross-sectional, and the FI employed in them encompassed a range of deficits, varying from 32 to 76 items. The most frequently incorporated constructs in the frailty index were comorbidities, cognitive impairment, activities of daily living (ADL and/or IADL), functional limitations or abilities, anthropometry, depressive symptoms, and self-reported health status. In terms of the association between oral health and frailty, the review showed that a lower number of teeth, poor self-reported oral health, and experiencing chewing or oral cavity pain were associated with an increased likelihood of frailty, as indicated by any FI. Notably, no studies reported an association between periodontal disease, cavities, use of dental prostheses, and frailty. The second aim showed that within the U.S. population, functional oral health (assessed as the number of teeth and higher number of occlusive tooth pairs) was associated with frailty. Similarly, among the Chilean population aged 55 years and older, frailty was also associated with functional oral health (lower number of additional teeth, wearing dental prostheses, and not having a functional dentition). This study also showed that the inclusion of periodontal microbiota in the regression models improved the model’s fit, suggesting that this microbiota may play a role in the association between oral health and frailty. Finally, the third aim showed that after 12 years of follow-up, a higher incidence of frailty was associated with functional and clinical oral health. In fact, people who exhibited a lower number of additional teeth, had less than 21 teeth, wearing complete dental prostheses, and had periodontal disease had a higher incidence of frailty. Moreover, CRP, IL-6, and TNF- exhibited small, but not statistically significant, effects as potential mediators between oral health and frailty. These findings suggest the potential for further research to explore the action of other inflammatory biomarkers and pathways through which oral health may be associated with frailty.

This thesis is focused on frailty in old age. The frailty syndrome is the newest geriatric syndrome and can be aptly called the ultimate geriatric syndrome due to the complexity of its causes and the wide range of adverse outcomes it may lead to in older persons. Several of the important correlates of frailty, namely falls, underweight and sarcopenia, are discussed in the context of their relationship with frailty. These entities are geriatric syndromes in their own rights, sharing many common risk factors and arriving at adverse health outcomes either directly or via the pathway of frailty. In the publications that arose from this work, the risk factors of falls, in particular the relationship between medications and chronic diseases in causing falls; risk factors and outcomes of sarcopenia, in particular its relation to diabetes mellitus and other chronic diseases; and how underweight poses survival risks in both community-living and institutionalized older people, are discussed. The final publication of this series of studies demonstrated the reversibility of the frailty syndrome, showing that not all who were in the pre-frailty stage will decline. Risk factors associated with improvement or decline in the pre-frail stage were identified in the local population, and a period of relative stability opened for possible interventions was observed. This thesis thus examines the complex interplay of these syndromes in old age. It is hoped that these publications will enable further research into the underlying mechanisms of frailty and to elucidate modifiable risk factors, hence enabling older people, in particular those in the pre-frail stage, to live healthier and longer lives. / Lee Shun Wah Jenny. / Thesis (M.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2015. / Includes bibliographical references. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on 15, September, 2016).

The world population is ageing, and this is also relevant to South Africa. At the same time the potential support ratio (the number of persons aged 15 to 64 years per one older person aged 65 years or older) is falling, and the dependency burden on potential workers increases. To alleviate the financial burden on the aged, and their families, it has become necessary to develop a financial plan to cover the cost of frail care. The overall purpose of this research is to determine whether any financial plans exist which are relevant. If nothing existed, a plan had to be developed. The research methodology for this study comprised the following steps: Firstly, the demographics of the world and South Africa were researched. The concept of frail (long-term) care in the United States of America and New Zealand was investigated to determine what is available. The subsidisation concept of the South African Government towards caring for the elderly was also investigated. Secondly, a questionnaire was sent to the residents of five retirement complexes in George to determine their interest in such a plan. The records of the frail care unit that these residents utilise were analysed to determine the number of residents needing frail care. A comparative study of the cost of frail care in the Southern Cape was undertaken. Thirdly, two options to partly subsidise the cost of frail care were examined, where the first option covers the running cost, and the second option, subsidising one third of the frail care cost, builds up a sustainable fund after the first five year period. The funds of the second option can then be utilised in the subsequent years to increase the subsidisation portion of frail care cost. The final step of this study entailed the formulation of recommendations to implement the frail care nursing levy as soon as possible, with special attention given to the following: a) It must be compulsory for new residents to join the fund. b) A yearly capital amount of R100 000 or more is needed to sustain the fund. c) A contract must be drafted to set out all the rules and regulations to the residents. d) An attitude change amongst some residents is required. Individuals must realise that the success of this plan depends upon themselves and with the necessary support could make a significant contribution towards their own peace of mind if and when frail care is needed.