Cross-Sectional Association of Frailty and Arterial Stiffness in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The Framingham Heart Study

Frailty is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Underlying mechanisms to explain the connection between frailty and CVD are unclear. We sought to examine the association between frailty and arterial stiffness, a precursor of hypertension and CVD. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of...

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Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Vol. 74; no. 3; p. 373
Main Authors: Orkaby, Ariela R, Lunetta, Kathryn L, Sun, Fangui J, Driver, Jane A, Benjamin, Emelia J, Hamburg, Naomi M, Mitchell, Gary F, Vasan, Ramachandran S, Murabito, Joanne M
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States 15.02.2019
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Frailty - complications
Frailty - diagnosis
Frailty - physiopathology
Humans
Independent Living
Linear Models
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Middle Aged
Pulse Wave Analysis
Vascular Stiffness - physiology
Cardiovascular Disease
Frailty
Arterial Stiffness
Epidemiology
ISSN:1758-535X, 1758-535X
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Summary:Frailty is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Underlying mechanisms to explain the connection between frailty and CVD are unclear. We sought to examine the association between frailty and arterial stiffness, a precursor of hypertension and CVD. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of community-dwelling Framingham Heart Study Offspring and Omni participants ≥60 years of age examined in 2005-2008. Frailty was defined primarily according to the Fried physical phenotype definition, which identifies nonfrail, prefrail, and frail individuals. Arterial stiffness was assessed using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CFPWV). Generalized linear regression was used to examine the association between frailty level and CFPWV (modeled as -1000/CFPWV in msec/m, then transformed back to the original scale, m/s), adjusted for age, sex, cohort, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, height, and smoking. Of 2,171 participants (55% women, 91% white), 45% were prefrail and 7% were frail. Mean ages were 67, 70, and 73 years, and adjusted CFPWV least squares means were 10.0 (95% CI, 9.9-10.1), 10.3 (10.2-10.5), and 10.5 m/s (10.1-11.0); p = .0002 for nonfrail, prefrail, and frail groups, respectively. Results were similar using the Rockwood cumulative deficit model of frailty, and in a sensitivity analysis adjusting for prevalent coronary heart disease and diabetes. Prefrailty and frailty were associated with higher arterial stiffness in a cohort of community-dwelling older adults. Arterial stiffness may help explain the relationship between frailty and CVD.
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ISSN:1758-535X
1758-535X
DOI:10.1093/gerona/gly134