Clinical-functional frailty and risk of developing sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/Keywords:
Older, Sarcopenia;, Frailty, PerformanceAbstract
Older adults should be routinely screened for
frailty, which threatens healthy aging. The Clinical-Functional
Vulnerability Index (IVCF-20) is a frailty screening tool that
has been increasingly used, although little is known about
its association with sarcopenia screening tools. This study
evaluated clinical-functional frailty in older adults using
the IVCF-20, seeking to determine its relationship with
the risk of developing sarcopenia. This cross-sectional
study included 40 community-dwelling older adults
(73.4±7.9 years, 75% female) who underwent the IVCF-
20. In addition, they underwent calf circumference (CC)
measurement, SARC-CalF, handgrip strength (HGS), fiverepetition
chair stand test (CS-5), and Timed Up and Go
test (TUG). According to the IVCF-20, 30%, 40%, and 30%
of participants were classified as robust, pre-vulnerable and vulnerable, respectively. The IVCF-20 score correlated with
CS-5 (rs=0.75, p≤0.0001), TUG (rs=0.67, p≤0.0001), and SARCCalF
(rs=0.52, p=0.0005). IVCF-20 was also associated with
White skin-color, physical inactivity, smoking history, orthopedic
disease, heart disease, and neurological disease. There was no
significant correlation between IVCF-20 and CC or HGS. The IVCF-
20 categories were statistically different in terms of the following
variables: age, height, SARC-CalF, CS-5, and TUG. In communitydwelling
older adults, there is a relationship between clinicalfunctional
frailty assessed by the IVCF-20, sarcopenia, mobility,
and body balance. Furthermore, there is a relationship between
clinical-functional frailty and the burden of disease. Thus, the
IVCF-20 can be considered an indicator of good health and overall
functioning in older adults.
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