Age and ageingPub Date : 2026-09-04DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afag273
Roy L Soiza
{"title":"Editor's view: Falls management and prevention.","authors":"Roy L Soiza","doi":"10.1093/ageing/afag273","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag273","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7682,"journal":{"name":"Age and ageing","volume":"55 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149102958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Age and ageingPub Date : 2026-09-04DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afag292
Jia Yin Ruan, Xiang Qi, Bei Wu
{"title":"Aggression and violence towards informal dementia caregivers: a call for recognition and action.","authors":"Jia Yin Ruan, Xiang Qi, Bei Wu","doi":"10.1093/ageing/afag292","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ageing/afag292","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Family caregivers are the backbone of dementia care worldwide, yet their safety remains largely absent from discussions of dementia-related aggression and violence. This commentary outlines the multidimensional sources and underlying causes of aggression and violence towards informal caregivers in dementia care, highlighting the need for greater recognition across research, practice, policy and public discourse. First, research must move beyond the assumption that violence in dementia care is primarily a problem affecting formal care staff or people living with dementia themselves. Second, clinical and social care systems must recognise caregiver safety as an integral component of dementia care. Third, policy must explicitly frame aggression and violence towards informal dementia caregivers as both a public health and safeguarding concern. Fourth, public awareness efforts must challenge the silence and stigma surrounding this issue. By bringing caregiver safety into the centre of dementia care debates, this commentary calls for a more comprehensive and ethically responsive approach to supporting families affected by dementia.</p>","PeriodicalId":7682,"journal":{"name":"Age and ageing","volume":"55 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149023511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Age and ageingPub Date : 2026-09-04DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afag265
Li Zeng, Hailong Hou, Ping Ni, Yifan Lv, Xiuying Hu
{"title":"Prevalence and associated factors of hospitalisation-associated disability in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Li Zeng, Hailong Hou, Ping Ni, Yifan Lv, Xiuying Hu","doi":"10.1093/ageing/afag265","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ageing/afag265","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Hospitalisation-associated disability (HAD) is a significant adverse outcome in older adults, leading to increased healthcare burden. This systematic review aimed to ascertain the prevalence and associated factors of HAD in older adults.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Eight databases, including PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang and VIP Chinese Journal Database (VIP), were searched from inception to November, 2025. Data were extracted using a predefined form, and study quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A meta-analysis was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of HAD.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Forty-six studies comprising 439 406 older adults from 15 regions were included. Individual study HAD prevalence ranged from 5% to 57%. The pooled prevalence was 27% (95% confidence interval: 24%-31%). The 95% prediction interval was 7%-48%. Subgroup analyses revealed that the number of HAD publications increased over the years, while the prevalence demonstrated a rebound after a decline. Moreover, a higher prevalence was observed in randomised controlled trials, among patients with lower respiratory tract infections, those aged 75-89 years, in using pre-admission baseline, and when the modified Barthel index was used for assessment.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>HAD affects a substantial proportion of older inpatients, while a wide prediction interval. The prevalence may be associated with differences in collection period, study design, patient characteristics and assessment methods. In clinical practice, early identification of high-risk groups and the use of standardised prospective assessments with pre-admission baseline may be considered. These suggestions require confirmation in well-designed prospective studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":7682,"journal":{"name":"Age and ageing","volume":"55 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148981935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Age and ageingPub Date : 2026-09-04DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afag291
Chloe French, Amelia Parchment, Bolanle Odebiyi, Chunhu Shi, Saima Bashir, Dawn Dowding, Roman Kislov, Alexander Thompson, Dawn A Skelton, Margaret Clarke, Yvonne Sylvestre Garcia, Saima S Ahmed, Chris J Todd, Peter Bower, Emma Stanmore
{"title":"Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Keep-On-Keep-Up digital falls prevention programme in community-dwelling older adults: results of a randomised controlled trial.","authors":"Chloe French, Amelia Parchment, Bolanle Odebiyi, Chunhu Shi, Saima Bashir, Dawn Dowding, Roman Kislov, Alexander Thompson, Dawn A Skelton, Margaret Clarke, Yvonne Sylvestre Garcia, Saima S Ahmed, Chris J Todd, Peter Bower, Emma Stanmore","doi":"10.1093/ageing/afag291","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ageing/afag291","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Falls are a leading cause of injury-related hospital admissions among older adults with substantial burden on health and social care systems. Digital exercise programmes may improve physical function at scale and complement traditional services. Keep-On-Keep-Up (KOKU) is an National Health Service (NHS)-approved digital programme offering progressive, evidence-based exercises and education on fall prevention.We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of KOKU for improving balance, physical function and reducing fall risk among community-dwelling older adults.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A two-arm, parallel group randomised controlled trial was conducted with community-dwelling older adults (≥60 years). Participants were randomised (1:1) to receive KOKU alongside standard care (strength and balance exercise advice and a falls prevention leaflet) or standard care alone. The primary outcome was balance function at 12 weeks (Berg Balance Score). Secondary outcomes included lower limb strength, concerns about falling, falls, mood, pain, fatigue, healthcare utilisation, health-related quality of life and usability. A modified intention-to-treat approach was used to analyse effectiveness and cost effectiveness.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 202 older adults (mean age 76.8 years, 72.8% female) were enrolled (102 intervention; 100 control). Retention at 12-weeks was 89.1% (91 intervention; 89 control). Compared with standard care, KOKU significantly improved balance function at 12 weeks after adjusting for baseline scores (mean difference: 6.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.48, 8.22). KOKU was associated with lower mean falls related costs (incremental cost: -£62.98, 95% CI -£218.54 to £40.22) and a quality-adjusted life year gain of 0.020 (95% CI 0.003 to 0.035).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The KOKU programme improves balance with preliminary evidence of cost-effectiveness among community-dwelling older adults. These findings support the integration of digital innovation into routine care to improve balance and strength, thereby reducing functional decline while delivering value for money.</p>","PeriodicalId":7682,"journal":{"name":"Age and ageing","volume":"55 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13603812/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149035830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Age and ageingPub Date : 2026-09-04DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afag259
Shivam Sharma, Carly Chaplin, Cameron Hicks, Daniel Treacy, Melanie K Farlie, Steven Phu, Natassia Smith, Hannah Gibson, Chrissie Ho, Eve Coleman, Tiffany Huang, Collen G Canning, Natalie E Allen, J C Close, Stephen R Lord, Yoshiro Okubo
{"title":"Effects of the 'ReacStep' training program on balance recovery and fall risk factors in older people: an assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial.","authors":"Shivam Sharma, Carly Chaplin, Cameron Hicks, Daniel Treacy, Melanie K Farlie, Steven Phu, Natassia Smith, Hannah Gibson, Chrissie Ho, Eve Coleman, Tiffany Huang, Collen G Canning, Natalie E Allen, J C Close, Stephen R Lord, Yoshiro Okubo","doi":"10.1093/ageing/afag259","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ageing/afag259","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Reactive balance training (RBT) using repeated perturbations may reduce falls; however, training methods are not easily replicated or translatable to clinical settings. This study aimed to examine the effects of a novel RBT program on balance recovery from laboratory-induced trips and slips and fall risk factors in older people using simple and low-cost equipment.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a randomised controlled trial involving 88 older people. An intervention group (n = 43) received the ReacStep program, which involved tether-release reactive stepping and intentional slips once a week for 6 weeks. Both the intervention and control (n = 45) groups received home-based strength training for 8 weeks. Blinded staff assessed reactive balance (laboratory-induced falls), physical functions at baseline (week 1) and post intervention (week 8). Weekly short-message service (SMS) surveys ascertained falls in daily life over 12 months.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both groups were comparable in demographics, with a mean age of 72 years (SD = 5.6). Adherence to ReacStep sessions was high (90%). There were no significant differences between groups in laboratory-assessed reactive balance falls at post-test or daily-life falls over 1 year (P = .19). However, at post-test, the intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in maximum step length and choice stepping reaction time compared to controls (P <.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The ReacStep program demonstrated excellent adherence, was well tolerated and improved the ability to take larger and quicker steps in older people. As these improvements did not translate to unexpected trips and slips and daily life falls, the findings highlight the need for further optimization of the program for improving reactive balance and preventing falls.</p>","PeriodicalId":7682,"journal":{"name":"Age and ageing","volume":"55 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148890736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Age and ageingPub Date : 2026-09-04DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afag276
John Cooke, Paul Finucane
{"title":"'Inverting the logic'-the value of a 'no-problem' list in frailty care.","authors":"John Cooke, Paul Finucane","doi":"10.1093/ageing/afag276","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ageing/afag276","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>When catastrophic engine failure occurred on a commercial aircraft, it triggered a cascade of system failures that threatened to overwhelm the flight crew. By 'inverting the logic' and focusing on the systems that remained operational rather than on accumulating malfunctions, the crew were able to land the aircraft safely. We suggest that this strategy has relevance for geriatric medicine, particularly in the assessment of frailty. Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and popular frailty models are predominantly deficit-oriented. They quantify vulnerability by counting impairments but fail to document reserve. Individuals with similar frailty scores will often have divergent outcomes following illness or stress. We suggest that reserve-physiological, cognitive, psychological and social-offsets the impact of accumulated deficits and helps to explain this heterogeneity. Deficit-focused assessments also shape patient identity and engagement. Potentially, this can create or reinforce a narrative of fragility or vulnerability. A strengths-oriented complement to CGA, which renders preserved capacity visible, may enhance prognostication, personalise intervention and support patient agency. The aviation-inspired strategy of 'inverting the logic' does not remove attention to risk; rather, it situates vulnerability within a broader context of preserved function and capacity to adapt.</p>","PeriodicalId":7682,"journal":{"name":"Age and ageing","volume":"55 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149023498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Age and ageingPub Date : 2026-09-04DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afag263
Yihan Wang, Benjamin Goudey, Colin L Masters, Liang Jin, Yijun Pan
{"title":"Cardiometabolic medication exposures and cognitive outcomes in Alzheimer's disease.","authors":"Yihan Wang, Benjamin Goudey, Colin L Masters, Liang Jin, Yijun Pan","doi":"10.1093/ageing/afag263","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ageing/afag263","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>People with dementia are often prescribed cardiometabolic medications; however, the impact of this medication exposome on cognitive trajectories remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analysed data from National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (n = 28 044), Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle study (n = 1708) and Health and Aging Brain Study: Health Disparities (n = 1425) to examine associations between seven classes of cardiometabolic medications and cognitive outcomes [CDR sum of boxes (CDR-SB)], using linear mixed-effects models with time-varying exposure. Subgroup analyses were conducted by sex, apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4, baseline age group and four progression groups [i.e. non-progression, cognitively unimpaired-to-mild cognitive impairment (CU-to-MCI), CU/MCI-to-Alzheimer's dementia (ADem) progression and ADem-stable group]. A meta-analysis was also performed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and metformin were associated with a slower cognitive decline. Diuretics showed comparable associations, although these effects were restricted to specific subgroups. Statins exhibited divergent, stage-specific associations, with inverse associations observed in the CU/MCI-to-ADem subgroup and positive associations in the ADem-stable subgroup. Angiotensin II receptor blockers were associated with a greater longitudinal increase in CDR-SB among participants in the non-progression subgroup. Calcium channel blockers showed limited subgroup-specific cognitive benefit but were also associated with an accelerated increase in CDR-SB over time. β-blockers demonstrated no consistent association with cognitive trajectories, with evidence of a lower CDR-SB slope observed only in a cohort-specific analysis.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Future research should incorporate pharmacy-verified medication exposure, explicit dosing information and dynamically modelled trajectories, while routinely assessing baseline and follow-up cognitive outcomes in pharmacotherapy trials involving older adults.</p>","PeriodicalId":7682,"journal":{"name":"Age and ageing","volume":"55 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13574286/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148966135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Age and ageingPub Date : 2026-09-04DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afag269
Yonas Tesfaye, Courtney R Davis, Melissa J Hull, Danielle Greaves, Clare Haylock, Sally Johns, Alice Bourke, Tobias Loetscher, Amanda Hutchinson, Stephanie Wong, Ashleigh E Smith, Lisa Kalisch Ellett, Aileen Collier, Monica Cations, Kate E Laver, Hannah A D Keage
{"title":"Consumer and health professional reflections and feedback on the Help After Leaving hospiTal delirium rehabilitation programme.","authors":"Yonas Tesfaye, Courtney R Davis, Melissa J Hull, Danielle Greaves, Clare Haylock, Sally Johns, Alice Bourke, Tobias Loetscher, Amanda Hutchinson, Stephanie Wong, Ashleigh E Smith, Lisa Kalisch Ellett, Aileen Collier, Monica Cations, Kate E Laver, Hannah A D Keage","doi":"10.1093/ageing/afag269","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ageing/afag269","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Delirium in late life is associated with long-term adverse clinical outcomes. There is no standard rehabilitation pathway following hospitalisation for individuals who experienced delirium. Through co-production we have been developing Help After Leaving HospiTal (HALT), a multicomponent, tailored and scalable intervention designed to prevent cognitive decline in individuals without dementia following in-hospital delirium. This study aimed to gather feedback on the HALT programme's structure, content, resources and engagement strategies prior to pilot testing from individuals who have treated, cared for or experienced delirium.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A descriptive qualitative study was undertaken with health professionals (n = 12) and consumers (n = 4). Five in-person workshops were held in August and September 2025. A semi-structured workshop guide was used to elicit participant reflections and feedback. Audio-recorded data were transcribed verbatim, coded using NVivo and analysed using thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Five themes were generated: (i) personalisation and enhanced support; (ii) beyond involvement, supporting support persons is essential; (iii) be a trusted partner; (iv) overcoming barriers to optimise engagement and (v) comprehensive content and easy to read materials.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Feedback has been used to shape the HALT programme prior to pilot testing by increasing the flexibility of module delivery methods, incorporating information for support persons, ensuring strong linkages with hospitals and overcoming barriers to optimise engagement to ensure the programme meets the needs of its intended users. These insights may also be leveraged by others working on delirium rehabilitation programmes.</p>","PeriodicalId":7682,"journal":{"name":"Age and ageing","volume":"55 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13580086/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148982005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Age and ageingPub Date : 2026-09-04DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afag281
Tilemachos Koutouratsas, Markos Kalligeros, Mark Michael, Siddharth Das, Sophia C Mylonakis, Eleftherios Mylonakis
{"title":"GLP-1-based treatments and long-term clinical outcomes in MASLD amongst older adults: a retrospective cohort study.","authors":"Tilemachos Koutouratsas, Markos Kalligeros, Mark Michael, Siddharth Das, Sophia C Mylonakis, Eleftherios Mylonakis","doi":"10.1093/ageing/afag281","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ageing/afag281","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in older adults, driving hepatic decompensation and cardiovascular mortality. Randomised trial data on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) therapy remain limited.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective cohort study using TriNetX US Collaborative Network. Adults 65 years or older with MASLD were identified by codes for fatty liver disease or steatohepatitis plus one cardiometabolic risk factor. We excluded liver transplant and other liver disease causes. Using a new-user, intention-to-treat design with 1:1 propensity-score matching, we compared GLP-1 RA initiators with unexposed patients. Outcomes were hepatic decompensation, hospitalisation, mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), assessed 90 days to 10 years after index. Sensitivity analyses restricted follow-up to 1-10 years, excluded tirzepatide or began follow-up on day 1.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>We identified 44 196 GLP-1 RA initiators and 384 672 unexposed patients. After matching, 43 930 remained per cohort (mean age 71.8 years; 62.0% female), with standardised mean differences below 0.1. GLP-1 RA use was linked to lower hazards of hepatic decompensation (hazard ratios [HR] 0.72, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.66-0.79), mortality (HR 0.55, 0.52-0.58) and hospitalisation (HR 0.95, 0.93-0.97). MACE showed no reduction (HR 0.98, 0.92-1.04). Osteoporosis without fracture and retinopathy were more frequent; pancreatitis, sarcopenia and fracture did not differ. GI events occurred more often as first events. Sensitivity analyses confirmed results for decompensation, hospitalisation and mortality.</p><p><strong>Interpretation: </strong>In older adults with MASLD, GLP-1 RA initiation was linked to lower risks of hepatic decompensation, hospitalisation and mortality, with higher rates of selected adverse events.</p>","PeriodicalId":7682,"journal":{"name":"Age and ageing","volume":"55 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149011754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Age and ageingPub Date : 2026-09-04DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afag272
Alejandro Álvarez-Bustos, Jose Antonio Carnicero, Mikel García-Aguirre, Maria Ángeles Caballero-Mora, Francisco Garcia-Garcia, Leocadio Rodríguez-Mañas
{"title":"Outcome-specific thresholds and clinically relevant changes in frailty: evidence from a population-based longitudinal cohort.","authors":"Alejandro Álvarez-Bustos, Jose Antonio Carnicero, Mikel García-Aguirre, Maria Ángeles Caballero-Mora, Francisco Garcia-Garcia, Leocadio Rodríguez-Mañas","doi":"10.1093/ageing/afag272","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ageing/afag272","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The usefulness of assessing Frailty Phenotype is hampered by the limitations of classical tools in defining outcome-specific risk trajectories, stablishing its severity, monitoring longitudinal changes and quantifying the changes needed to modify the risk.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To assess the risk along the score range, defining outcome-specific thresholds, slopes of risk and degrees of severity and to determine Minimal Clinically Important Differences (MCIDs) through numerical-score based tools: Frailty Trait Scale (FTS).</p><p><strong>Design, setting and subjects: </strong>Prospective community-dwelling cohort of people ≥65 years.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Frailty was determined at baseline (Wave 1) and after 5.02 years (Wave 2) using the FTS (n = 1811) and its shorter 5-items form (FTS-5; n = 1597). Primary outcomes assessed at Wave 2 were worsening disability (median follow-up 5.02 years), hospitalisation (3.3) and mortality (5.4). For MCIDs analyses, time-to-event outcomes assessed at Wave 3 were 2.99, 4.18 and 6.77 years, respectively. Cox proportional hazards models and logistic regression were used.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A continuous dose-response association was observed between frailty scores and all outcomes, with distinct thresholds, slopes and saturation points. Threshold for disability risk was 25/100 FTS (or 10/50 for FTS5); 40/100 (15/50 FTS5) for hospitalisation and 50/100 (25/50 FTS5) for mortality. The sequence and intensity of these risks allowed to define five different categories of severity. MCID analyses showed increases in frailty scores associated with higher risk of all outcomes, whereas reductions protected against hospitalisation [FTS ≥ 10.3: HR 0.74 (95% CI, 0.56-0.99); FTS5 ≥ 6.5: 0.74 (0.55-0.996)] and mortality [FTS ≥ 4.5: HR 0.65 (95% CI, 0.45-0.95); FTS5 ≥ 1.0: 0.65 (0.45-0.93)].</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Both FTS and FTS5 show characteristics that make them useful in clinical settings, overcoming some of the pitfalls of classical tools.</p>","PeriodicalId":7682,"journal":{"name":"Age and ageing","volume":"55 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148966192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}