The following is a summary of “Frailty Screening is Associated with Hospitalization and Decline in Quality of Life and Functional Status in Older Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease,” published in the April 2024 issue of Gastroenterology by Asscher et al.

Researchers conducted a prospective study investigating whether frailty screening can predict hospitalization, worsening quality of life, and functional status in elderly patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

They involved patients with IBD aged 65 years and above, utilizing frailty screening via the G8 Questionnaire. Over an 18-month follow-up period, they examined outcomes, including all-cause, acute, and IBD-related hospitalizations, incidences of infection and malignancy, as well as assessing the quality of life using the EQ5D-3L scale and functional decline via the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). Factors considered for analysis encompassed age, type of IBD, biochemical disease activity (measured by C-reactive protein ≥10 mg/L and/or fecal calprotectin ≥250 µg/g), and comorbidity evaluated by the Charlson Comorbidity Index.

The results showed 405 patients with a median age of 70, 196 (48%) were identified as at risk for frailty. All-cause hospitalizations occurred 136 times in 96 patients (23.7%), while acute hospitalizations occurred 103 times in 74 patients (18.3%). Frailty was not linked with all-cause hospitalizations (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.5, 95% CI 0.9–2.4), but it was associated with acute hospitalizations (aHR 2.2, 95% CI 1.3–3.8). Infections were seen in 86 patients (21.2%) and were not correlated with frailty. A decrease in QoL was noted in 108 patients (30.6%) and a decline in functional status in 46 patients (13.3%). Frailty screening was linked with a decrease in QoL (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.1, 95% CI 1.3–3.6) and functional status (aOR 3.7, 95% CI 1.7–8.1).

Investigators concluded that identifying frailty in older patients with IBD was linked to poorer health outcomes, but further research is needed to see if routinely screening for frailty is practical and beneficial.

Source: academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/article/18/4/516/7327064