Evaluation of frailty among individuals aged 65 and over

OBJECTIVE: Frailty, which is an important geriatric syndrome, is common cuase of morbidity and mortality among elderly individuals. The aim of this study is to identify the relations of frailty with different determinants like socio-demogaphic characteristics in people 65 and over. MATERIAL and METHODS:This study was a descriptive and cross-sectional in nature and was performed between June 2015 - December 2015. A questionnaire and some physical tests (4-meter walking speed and grip strength test) was performed after obtaining informed consent from patients. Fried Phenotype (Frailty Scale) score was calculated. SPSS 22.0 software package was used for statistical analysis and for all comparisons p <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In this study, 380 patients aged 65 and over psrticipated of which 47% were female (n = 179) and 53% were male (n = 201). The average age of the patients was 71.6 (st.dev: 5.25; max.=91; min.=65). Most patients (35%; n = 133) graduated from primary schooland the majority had 'middle level income' (61%; n =230). Majortiy (83.9%; n = 319) had two and more chronic conditions: Most frequently stated diseases were HT (60.1%, n = 228), hyperlipidemia (35.7%, n = 136) and DM (27.8%; n = 106),. Five or more drugs were utilized by 27.6% of patients (n = 105). The frequency of frailty among all participants was 30% (n = 114) according to Fried Scale. Half (53%; n = 201) were pre-frail and 17% (n = 65) were normal (not-frail). Frailty was more frequent in women (37%; n = 66) than in men (17%; n = 48). Female gender, advanced age, living alone, low income, and having a relatively sedentary job (ie. Civil servants, administrators, etc.) was more related frailty (p <0.05). In addition, the increased 'total number of chronic diseases' and the 'number of drugs used daily by the patients' were associated with an increased total Fried frailty score (p <0.05). Subscales of Fried Scale revealed mostly 'insufficient physical activity' (n = 239; 62.8% of all patients); second most frequent deficit was 'weak grip strength' (n = 184; 48.4%); third most frequent criteria was 'slow walking speed' (n = 156; 41%). The rarest observed frailty criteria was 'weight loss' (n = 26; 6.8%). CONCLUTION: Frailty, a common geriatric syndrome in people aged 65 and over, is a manageable and preventable health problem, which is frequntly encountered also in primary care. Family physicians play an important role during the recognition and detection of affected individuals in community. Cooperation with relevant specialties during the care of frail person should be advocated. Key Words: Frailty, Family Practice, Fried Scale, Aging, Elderly, Occupation