Frailty is associated with the progression of prediabetes to diabetes and elevated risks of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in individuals with prediabetes and diabetes: Evidence from two prospective cohorts.

Aims: To investigate the impacts of frailty on the progression of prediabetes to diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in individuals with prediabetes and diabetes.

Methods: 7,933 subjects with prediabetes and diabetes were included from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Frailty status was assessed by frailty index and classified as robust, pre-frail, and frail. Logistic regression was used to calculate risks of progression to diabetes. Cox regression was used to calculate risks of CVD and all-cause mortality.

Results: In prediabetes, frail subjects had significantly increased risks of progression to diabetes (CHARLS, OR = 1.55, 95 %CI: 1.09-2.20; ELSA, OR = 1.86, 95 %CI: 1.02-3.37) compared with robust subjects. Frail subjects with prediabetes also presented significantly increased risks of CVD (CHARLS: HR = 1.90, 95 %CI: 1.45-2.48; ELSA: HR = 1.94, 95 %CI: 1.31-2.88) and all-cause mortality (CHARLS: HR = 2.45, 95 %CI: 1.79-3.36; ELSA: HR = 2.13, 95 %CI: 1.46-3.10) than robust subjects with prediabetes. In diabetes, frailty still increased risks of CVD (CHARLS, HR = 2.72, 95 %CI: 1.97-3.77; ELSA, HR = 2.41, 95 %CI: 1.43-4.06) and all-cause mortality (CHARLS, HR = 2.28, 95 %CI: 1.56-3.33; ELSA, HR = 2.28, 95 %CI: 1.47-3.53).

Conclusions: Frailty is associated with the progression of prediabetes to diabetes and elevated risks of CVD and all-cause mortality in individuals with prediabetes and diabetes.