Risk factors associated with frailty in older adults with type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional study.

Aims And Objectives: The aims of the study were to (i) estimate the prevalence of frailty among older adults with type 2 diabetes, and (ii) investigate risk factors associated with frailty in the study group.

Background: The high prevalence of frailty among older adults and its adverse health impacts including higher risks for physical disabilities and a higher mortality rate is quickly evolving to become an important public health issue.

Design: A cross-sectional design.

Methods: Data were collected from the Clinical Diabetes Centre of our study group. Frailty was assessed using the Chinese version of the Tilburg frailty indicator. Other questionnaires included Activities of Daily Living, Mini-Mental State Examination, Taiwan Geriatric Depression Scale and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. Multivariable logistic regression was established to identify factors associated with frailty. The STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology checklist was used preparing the manuscript.

Results: A total of 248 subjects were recruited in this study, a total of 66 participants had frailty (26.6%). Our results showed that factors including age, number of chronic diseases, cerebrovascular accident, renal diseases, frequency of falling, frequency of hyperglycaemia, Activities of Daily Living, depression, Mini-Mental State Examination, and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living ≧1 task disability were correlated with frailty in older adults with type 2 diabetes. After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariate logistic regression analyses showed a significant increase in the probability of frailty by 1.72-times when comparing type 2 diabetes subjects with depression to those without depression.

Conclusion: This study revealed that depression is a significant factor associated with the occurrence of frailty among older adults with type 2 diabetes.

Relevance To Clinical Practice: Our results provided strong clinical evidence showing depression as an important factor associated with the risk of frailty in older individuals with type 2 diabetes. We recommend early detection via routine screenings for symptoms of depression during diabetes care to achieve early prevention or the delay of frailty and its implicated adverse health consequences.