Research on the frailty status and adverse outcomes of elderly patients with multimorbidity.

Background: As patients age, the frailty of those with multimorbidity increases, often resulting in adverse health outcomes. The current study investigated the frailty status and the factors which influence it in elderly patients with multimorbidity in Chinese hospitals. The relationship between the frailty of patients with multimorbidity and adverse outcomes was explored.

Methods: The current prospective cohort study investigated inpatients in the internal medicine department of 5 tertiary hospitals in Sichuan Province, China. A total of 3836 elderly patients with multimorbidity were enrolled. Frailty was assessed using the FRAIL scale and adverse outcome events occurring during hospitalization were tracked. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were used for data analysis.

Results: The prevalence of frailty was 27.2% and of pre-frailty, 58.9%. Logistic regression analysis showed that increasing age, low BMI, low education level, lack of exercise, multiple types of medications and multiple numbers of chronic diseases were the main risk factors for frailty in elderly patients with multimorbidity (OR values: 1.020, 1.469, 2.350, 2.836, 1.156 and 1.308, respectively). The incidence of adverse outcomes was 13.9% among the cohort with the most common being deep vein thrombosis (42.4%), followed by pressure injury (38.8%). Regression analysis showed a significant correlation of frailty with adverse outcome (OR: 1.496; p < 0.01).

Conclusions: The prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty in hospitalized elderly patients with multimorbidity was high. Increasing age, low BMI, low education level, lack of exercise, multiple types of medications and multiple numbers of chronic diseases were factors which influenced frailty and frailty was an important factor in the occurrence of adverse outcomes. The most common adverse outcome of elderly multimorbidity patients during hospitalization was deep vein thrombosis.