[Less iron deficiency in whole-blood donors: the effect of ferritin-guided donation intervals].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of ferritin-guided donation intervals on haemoglobin (Hb) and ferritin levels, iron deficiency and low Hb deferrals in whole-blood donors.

Design: A cluster-randomized stepped-wedge trial.

Methods: In 2017-2019, Sanquin gradually implemented ferritin-guided donation intervals.

Short-term Frailty Index Fluctuations in Older Adults: Noise or Signal?

Background: Reversible short-term fluctuations in the frailty index (FI) are often thought of as representing only noise or error. Here, we assess (i) the size and source of short-term FI fluctuations, (ii) variation across sociodemographic characteristics, (iii) association with chronic diseases, (iv) correlation with age, frailty level, frailty change, and mortality, and (v) whether fluctuations reflect discrete health transitions.

Methods: Nationwide, biweekly longitudinal data from 426 community-dwelling older adults (70+) were collected in the FRequent health Assessment In Later life (FRAIL70+) study using a measurement burst design (5 122 repeated observations, median of 13 repeated observations per person).

The association of overweight, obesity, and long-term obesity with SARS-CoV-2 infection: a meta-analysis of 9 population-based cohorts from the Netherlands Cohorts Consortium.

Background: Obesity may affect an individual's immune response and subsequent risk of infection, such as a SARS-CoV-2 infection. It is less clear whether overweight and long-term obesity also constitute risk factors. We investigated the association between the degree and duration of overweight and obesity and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Defining and Categorizing Nonpharmacologic Interventions in the Older Population: A Systematic Review.

Objectives: Nonpharmacologic interventions (NPIs) constitute an important part of treatment for older adults, cover a broad and diverse range of interventions, and have advantages over pharmacologic interventions (eg, limited adverse side effects). However, an unambiguous definition of NPIs is still lacking. Defining NPIs may facilitate research on this topic and enhance comparability of results between studies, and might help to face the challenges of recognition, acceptation, funding, and implementation.

The development of intrinsic capacity measures for longitudinal research: The Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam.

Background: The World Health Organization has introduced the construct of intrinsic capacity (IC) as an important component of healthy ageing and overall well-being in older adults The present study aimed to develop domain-specific and composite IC scores and to validate these scores by examining their longitudinal relation with functioning.

Methods: We used prospective data on participants aged 57 to over 90 years, with a 10-year follow-up, from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, an ongoing cohort study of older Dutch men and women Using a formative, stepwise approach, we identified indicators across the different domains of IC, i.e.

The temporal sequence and reciprocal relationships of frailty, social isolation and loneliness in older adults across 21 years.

Background: It is unclear whether social isolation and loneliness may precede frailty status or whether frailty may precipitate social isolation and loneliness. We investigated the reciprocal and temporal sequence of social isolation, loneliness, and frailty among older adults across 21 years.

Methods: We used seven waves of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam from 2302 Dutch older adults (M = 72.

Prevalence and future estimates of frailty and pre-frailty in a population-based sample of people 70 years and older in Norway: the HUNT study.

Background: Frailty in older people is a rising global health concern; therefore, monitoring prevalence estimates and presenting projections of future frailty are important for healthcare planning.

Aim: To present current prevalence estimates of frailty and pre-frailty and future projections according to both dominant frailty models in a large population-based observational study including adults ≥ 70 years in Norway.

Methods: In this population-based observational study, we included 9956 participants from the HUNT4 70 + study, conducting assessments at field stations, homes, and nursing homes.

Joint Trajectories of Performance-Based and Self-Reported Physical Functioning in Older Adults: A 20-Year Longitudinal Study in the Netherlands.

Background: The well-known disablement process has been conceptualized as a series of transitions between progressive states of functional decline. We studied joint patterns of change within disablement states defined as walking speed, grip strength, and self-reported disability.

Methods: 1702 participants aged 65 and over were included from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, spanning seven waves over 20 years (1996-2016).

Transitions between care networks: a prospective study among older adults in the Netherlands.

As health impairment increases, older adults utilize care from different types of caregivers, but little is known about changes in the composition of care networks. We mapped the transitions between different care networks to gain insight into which people develop care networks that include informal, privately and publicly paid care. We used three waves (2012-2015-2018) of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam with 1413 Dutch community-dwelling adults, aged 64-100.

Frailty and socioeconomic position: A systematic review of observational studies.

Background: Frailty, an age-related state of reduced physiological reserve, is often associated with lower socio-economic position (SEP). This systematic review synthesised observational studies assessing (i) the association between SEP and frailty prevalence; (ii) how changes in frailty status over time vary by SEP; and (iii) whether the association between frailty and clinical outcomes is modified by SEP.

Methods: We searched three electronic databases from 2001 to 2023.

Effectiveness of ferritin-guided donation intervals in whole-blood donors in the Netherlands (FIND'EM): a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial.

Background: Whole-blood donors are at increased risk for iron deficiency and anaemia. The current standard of haemoglobin monitoring is insufficient to ensure the maintenance of proper iron reserves and donor health. We aimed to determine the effects of ferritin-guided donation intervals for blood donor health and blood supply in the Netherlands.

Functional disability and receipt of informal care among Chinese adults living alone with cognitive impairment.

Background: Adults with cognitive impairment are prone to living alone in large numbers but receive relatively little attention. This study aimed to evaluate whether living alone with cognitive impairment was associated with a higher burden of functional disability but lack of informal care.

Methods: 982 observations of adults living alone with cognitive impairment and 50,695 observations of adults living with others and with normal cognition were identified from 4 waves (2011/2012, 2013, 2015, and 2018) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).

Higher plant-derived nitrate intake is associated with lower odds of frailty in a cross-sectional study of community-dwelling older women.

Purpose: Dietary nitrate intake is inversely related to numerous contributors towards frailty, including cardiovascular disease and poor physical function. Whether these findings extend to frailty remain unknown. We investigated if habitual nitrate intake, derived from plants or animal-based foods, was cross-sectionally associated with frailty in women.

Frailty increases the long-term risk for fall and fracture-related hospitalizations and all-cause mortality in community-dwelling older women.

Frailty is associated with declines in physiological capacity across sensory, neurological, and musculoskeletal systems. An underlying assumption is that the frailer an individual, the more likely they are to experience falls and fractures. We examined whether grades of frailty can assess the long-term risk of hospitalized falls, fractures, and all-cause mortality in 1261 community-dwelling older women (mean age [SD] of 75.

The relationship between frailty and social vulnerability: a systematic review.

Both frailty (reduced physiological reserve) and social vulnerability (scarcity of adequate social connections, support, or interaction) become more common as people age and are associated with adverse consequences. Analyses of the relationships between these constructs can be limited by the wide range of measures used to assess them. In this systematic review, we synthesised 130 observational studies assessing the association between frailty and social vulnerability, the bidirectional longitudinal relationships between constructs, and their joint associations with adverse health outcomes.

Core requirements of frailty screening in the emergency department: an international Delphi consensus study.

Introduction: Frailty is associated with adverse outcomes among patients attending emergency departments (EDs). While multiple frailty screens are available, little is known about which variables are important to incorporate and how best to facilitate accurate, yet prompt ED screening. To understand the core requirements of frailty screening in ED, we conducted an international, modified, electronic two-round Delphi consensus study.

Associations between meat consumption and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in middle-aged and older adults with frailty.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the associations between different types of meat consumption and mortality risk among people with frailty.

Design: Longitudinal study.

Setting And Participants: We included 19,913 physically frail participants from the UK Biobank.

Associations between healthy lifestyle and mortality across different social environments: a study among adults with frailty from the UK Biobank.

Background: Among people living with frailty, adherence to a healthy lifestyle may be a low-cost and effective strategy to decrease frailty-induced health risks across different social environments.

Methods: We included 15 594 frail participants at baseline from the UK Biobank study. We used four lifestyle factors to create a composite healthy lifestyle score and 17 social factors to construct a polysocial score.

Frailty predicts all-cause and cause-specific mortality among older adults in Austria: 8-year mortality follow-up of the Austrian Health Interview Survey (ATHIS 2014).

Background: The frailty index (FI) is an established predictor of all-cause mortality among older adults, but less is known with regard to cause-specific mortality, and whether the predictive power of the FI varies between men and women and by socio-economic position.

Methods: We assessed all-cause and cause-specific mortality during 8 years of follow-up (median = 7 years) among the population-representative sample of older adults (65 + , n = 2,561) from the European Health Interview Survey in Austria (ATHIS 2014). A FI at baseline was constructed from 41 health deficits.

The phenotypic and genotypic association of grip strength with frailty, physical performance and functional limitations over time in older adults.

Objectives: To replicate the phenotypic associations of grip strength with frailty, physical performance and functional limitations in older adults for longer follow-up periods and to examine whether these associations are due to shared genetic factors.

Methods: In total 2,262 participants 55 years and older with follow-up data up to 23 years (Nobservations = 8,262) from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam were included. Weighted polygenic risk scores for grip strength (PRS-GS) were built using the genome-wide meta-analysis results from UK Biobank as reference.

Recent developments in frailty identification, management, risk factors and prevention: A narrative review of leading journals in geriatrics and gerontology.

Frailty is an age-related clinical condition characterised by an increased susceptibility to stressors and an elevated risk of adverse outcomes such as mortality. In the light of global population ageing, the prevalence of frailty is expected to soar in coming decades. This narrative review provides critical insights into recent developments and emerging practices in frailty research regarding identification, management, risk factors, and prevention.

The prevalence of non-pharmacological interventions in older homecare recipients: an overview from six European countries.

Purpose: Non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) play an important role in the management of older people receiving homecare. However, little is known about how often specific NPIs are being used and to what extent usage varies between countries. The aim of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of NPIs in older homecare recipients in six European countries.