New Study Links Frailty To Alzheimer’s Dementia

Credit: pulmccm.org

Physical frailty is a common condition found in the elderly, and it is associated with a number of adverse health outcomes.  Frailty is a syndrome comprised of a number of features: Core components of physical frailty include strength, gait, body composition and fatigue. 

Now, the Lancet Neurology journal has published new research suggesting that frailty makes older adults more prone to Alzheimer’s dementia. The study also showed that frailty moderates the effects of dementia symptoms and dementia-related brain changes. Older adults (aged 59 and older) who were not frail showed fewer clinical symptoms associated with dementia.  Those with a higher level of frailty were more likely to have both Alzheimer’s disease-related brain changes and symptoms of dementia.  

Most people who develop cognitive impairment related to Alzheimer’s dementia are older than 65 and often suffer from other health problems. Frailty is a condition that develops with age and is associated with higher rates of cognitive impairment and dementia, but there has not been much research exploring the links between the two.  

Researchers for this study did a cross-sectional analysis of data from participants of the Rush Memory and Aging Project. The Rush Memory and Aging Project was a clinical-pathological cohort study of adults older than age 59 years who did not have dementia.  For the present cross-sectional analysis, researchers included patients who did not have dementia or those who had Alzheimer’s dementia at the time of their last clinical assessment, or who had died and had complete autopsy data available.

The cross-sectional analysis consisted of 465 participants, with the mean age of death 89.7 years. Two hundred forty-two, or 53 percent, had a diagnosis of possible or probable Alzheimer’s dementia at their last clinical assessment.  Researchers found that people with a higher degree of frailty were more likely to have more Alzheimer’s disease pathology and more symptoms of dementia, while those with less frailty appeared more able to tolerate Alzheimer’s disease pathology without developing dementia. Even individuals with a low level of Alzheimer’s disease pathology might be at risk for dementia if they have high amounts of frailty.   

Professor Kenneth Rockwood from Nova Scotia Health Authority and Dal-housie University, Canada, who led the study, spoke of the possible clinical implications for the findings. Rockwood said, “While more research is needed, given that frailty is potentially reversible, it is possible that helping people to maintain function and independence in later life could reduce both dementia risk and the severity of debilitating symptoms common in this disease.”