journal articles
PREVALENCE AND PREDISPOSING FACTORS OF FRAILTY SYNDROME IN ELDERLY (> 75 YEARS) INDIAN POPULATION IN SUBACUTE CARE SETUP
P. Chatterjee, B. Krisaswamy
J Aging Res Clin Practice 2012;1(1):3-5
Background: Purpose of the study was to find out prevalence and predisposing factors of “Frailty Syndrome” in 75 + Indian population. Methodology: Frailty was measured by using Fried criteria, data were then analyzed to look for the association between Frailty with various determinants. Result: Among 100 elderly patient, randomly chosen from Geriatric department of Madras Medical College, India, 21% were frail, 20% were Intermediate frail. Study shows significant association between frailty with ageing (p=0.012), slow gait speed (p=0), hand grip strength (p=0),Under nutrition (p =0.03), ADL impairment (p=0), recurrent hospitalization in last year for minor ailment (p=0.00003) and depression(p=0). Conclusion: Prevalence of frailty is high in 75 + population in hospital setup (sub acute care) which needs immediate attention. Age is the most important risk factor of frailty. Under-nutrition is one of the preventable but significant risk factor. Impaired ADL, Slow gait speed and low hand grip, are independent predictors of Frailty.