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Exploring the correlates of frailty among hospitalized older adults: A cross-sectional study in a Saudi teaching hospital

S. H. Alamri, H. M. Mealif

Medicine, 2024

147 participants · 4 citations

Abstract

Frailty is an important public health concern associated with aging. It increases the risk of adverse clinical outcomes, such as falls, late-life dependency, hospitalization, disability, and mortality. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of frailty and to identify factors associated with frailty among older adults (≥65 years) admitted to King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital. The data were collected during the months of January and February 2022 and included demographic characteristics, comorbidities, length of stay, and hospital mortality. Frailty status of participants was assessed using the Clinical Frailty Scale. A total of 147 patients (aged ≥ 65 years) were included in our study. The prevalence rates of frailty and non-frailty were 71.4% and 28.6%, respectively. Frail patients had higher comorbidity index (P = .003), polypharmacy (P = .003), heart failure (P = .001), and prolonged hospital stays (P = .007). The results of the multiple logistic regression revealed that the tall patients had a lower risk of frailty (odds ratio = 0.0089, 95% confidence interval: 0.0001–0.7588, P = .042) and patients with higher comorbidity indexes had higher risk of frailty (odds ratio = 1.4907, 95% confidence interval: 1.1449–1.9927, P = .004). In this study, more than two-thirds of the hospitalized older patients were classified as frail. High comorbidity index,…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 147 participants or records.

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