- Library Home /
- Search Collections /
- Open Collections /
- Browse Collections /
- UBC Faculty Research and Publications /
- Frailty, fitness and late-life mortality in relation...
Open Collections
UBC Faculty Research and Publications
Frailty, fitness and late-life mortality in relation to chronological and biological age Mitnitski, Arnold B; Graham, Janice E; Mogilner, Alexander J; Rockwood, Kenneth
Abstract
Background: People age at remarkably different rates, but how to estimate trajectories of senescence is controversial. Methods In a secondary analysis of a representative cohort of Canadians aged 65 and over (n = 2914) we estimated a frailty index based on the proportion of 20 deficits observed in a structured clinical examination. The construct validity of the index was examined through its relationship to chronological age (CA). The criterion validity was examined in its ability to predict mortality, and in relation to other predictions about aging. From the frailty index, relative (to CA) fitness and frailty were estimated, as was an individual's biological age. Results The average value of the frailty index increased with age in a log-linear relationship (r = 0.91; p < 0.001). In a Cox regression analysis, biological age was significantly more highly associated with death than chronological age. The average increase in the frailty index (i.e. the average accumulation of deficits) amongst those with no cognitive impairment was 3 per cent per year. Conclusions The frailty index is a sensitive predictor of survival. As the index includes items not traditionally related to adverse health outcomes, the finding is compatible with a view of frailty as the failure to integrate the complex responses required to maintain function.
Item Metadata
Title |
Frailty, fitness and late-life mortality in relation to chronological and biological age
|
Creator | |
Publisher |
BioMed Central
|
Date Issued |
2002-02-27
|
Description |
Background:
People age at remarkably different rates, but how to estimate trajectories of senescence is controversial.
Methods
In a secondary analysis of a representative cohort of Canadians aged 65 and over (n = 2914) we estimated a frailty index based on the proportion of 20 deficits observed in a structured clinical examination. The construct validity of the index was examined through its relationship to chronological age (CA). The criterion validity was examined in its ability to predict mortality, and in relation to other predictions about aging. From the frailty index, relative (to CA) fitness and frailty were estimated, as was an individual's biological age.
Results
The average value of the frailty index increased with age in a log-linear relationship (r = 0.91; p < 0.001). In a Cox regression analysis, biological age was significantly more highly associated with death than chronological age. The average increase in the frailty index (i.e. the average accumulation of deficits) amongst those with no cognitive impairment was 3 per cent per year.
Conclusions
The frailty index is a sensitive predictor of survival. As the index includes items not traditionally related to adverse health outcomes, the finding is compatible with a view of frailty as the failure to integrate the complex responses required to maintain function.
|
Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
|
Date Available |
2015-12-25
|
Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
|
Rights |
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
|
DOI |
10.14288/1.0221617
|
URI | |
Affiliation | |
Citation |
BMC Geriatrics. 2002 Feb 27;2(1):1
|
Publisher DOI |
10.1186/1471-2318-2-1
|
Peer Review Status |
Reviewed
|
Scholarly Level |
Faculty
|
Copyright Holder |
Mitnitski et al
|
Rights URI | |
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
|
Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)