Pulmonary Function as a Predictor of Frailty Syndrome in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Diminished pulmonary function is associated with negative health outcomes and pulmonary impairment, and can be associated with frailty. The objectives of this study were to compare pulmonary function between frail, prefrail, and nonfrail older adults; to verify the association between pulmonary function and frailty syndrome; and to establish cut-off points for pulmonary function variables for predicting frailty. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 379 community-dwelling older adults of both sexes. Spirometry was used to measure pulmonary function criteria (forced vital capacity, FVC; forced expiratory volume in 1 second, FEV 1 ; and FEV 1 /FVC ratio). The presence of frailty was evaluated with Fried's frailty phenotype. Statistical analysis included a multinomial logistic regression model. Pulmonary function cut-off points for discriminating frailty syndrome were established through analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The study participants were a median of 69.0 (64.0-74.0) years old, and 12.4% presented frailty while 58% presented prefrailty. Frail and prefrail older adults presented significantly lower median FVC and FEV 1 values-FVC = 1.89 L (1.45-2.31) and FEV 1 = 1.60 L (1.24-1.91); FVC = 2.07 L (1.62-2.67) and FEV 1 = 1.66 L (1.32-2.09), respectively-than nonfrail participants-FVC = 2.53 L (1.96-3.16) and FEV 1 = 2.01 L (1.54-2.43). The adjusted analysis indicated that FEV 1 (odds ratio [OR] = 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39-0.99) and the FVC (OR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.48-0.96) were inversely associated with prefrailty and that FVC (OR = 0.52; 95% CI, 0.29-0.94) was associated with frailty. Cut-off points for prefrailty (FVC ≤2.3 L and FEV 1 ≤1.86 L) and frailty (FVC ≤2.07 L and FEV 1 ≤1.76 L) were established. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary function was lower in frail and prefrail older adults than in their nonfrail peers. Frailty and prefrailty were inversely associated with pulmonary function. Cut-off points for FEV 1 and FVC for discriminating frailty were established and may allow pulmonary function to serve as an indicator of frailty in older adults.

Impaired pulmonary function is associated with dynapenia, but not with abdominal obesity and dynapenic abdominal obesity in older adults.

PURPOSE: No studies have previously analyzed the association between dynapenic abdominal obesity (DAO) and pulmonary function in older adults. The aim of this study was to analyze whether there is an association between pulmonary function and abdominal obesity, dynapenia, and DAO in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with community-dwelling older adults (n = 383) of Macapá, Amapá, Brazil. Pulmonary function variables were evaluated with spirometry; and DAO was evaluated with the combination of dynapenia and abdominal obesity. Cutoff points for handgrip strength, 26 kg force for men and 16 kg force for women, were used to detect dynapenia; and cutoff points of abdominal circumference of > 102 cm for men and > 88 cm for women were used to identify abdominal obesity. RESULTS: Most of the studied pulmonary function variables (obtained values and obtained versus predicted values) were associated with abdominal obesity, dynapenia, and DAO. However, in the adjusted model, there was an association of FVC (ß = - 0.163; p < 0.001), FEV1 (ß = - 0.119; p = 0.006), and PEF (ß = - 0.110; p = 0.017) only with dynapenia. CONCLUSIONS: Older adults with abdominal obesity, dynapenia, and DAO presented impaired pulmonary function when compared to those without these conditions. Most of the pulmonary function variables were associated with abdominal obesity, dynapenia, and DAO conditions. However, in the adjusted model, there was an association of reduced FVC, FEV1, and PEF values only with dynapenia.

Biomarkers of cytokine storm as red flags for severe and fatal COVID-19 cases: A living systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the laboratory parameters and biomarkers of the cytokine storm syndrome associated with severe and fatal COVID-19 cases. METHODS: A search with standardized descriptors and synonyms was performed on November 28th, 2020 of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, LILACS, and IBECS to identify studies of interest. Grey literature searches and snowballing techniques were additionally utilized to identify yet-unpublished works and related citations. Two review authors independently screened the retrieved titles and abstracts, selected eligible studies for inclusion, extracted data from the included studies, and then assessed the risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Eligible studies were those including laboratory parameters-including serum interleukin-6 levels-from mild, moderate, or severe COVID-19 cases. Laboratory parameters, such as interleukin-6, ferritin, hematology, C-Reactive Protein, procalcitonin, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine, and D-dimer, were extracted from the studies. Meta-analyses were conducted using the laboratory data to estimate mean differences with associated 95% confidence intervals. DATA SYNTHESIS: The database search yielded 9,620 records; 40 studies (containing a total of 9,542 patients) were included in the final analysis. Twenty-one studies (n = 4,313) assessed laboratory data related to severe COVID-19 cases, eighteen studies (n = 4,681) assessed predictors for fatal COVID-19 cases and one study (n = 548) assessed laboratory biomarkers related to severe and fatal COVID-19 cases. Lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated levels of interleukin-6, ferritin, D-dimer, aspartate aminotransferase, C-Reactive-Protein, procalcitonin, creatinine, neutrophils and leucocytes were associated with severe and fatal COVID-19 cases. CONCLUSIONS: This review points to interleukin-6, ferritin, leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets, C-Reactive Protein, procalcitonin, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine, and D-dimer as important biomarkers of cytokine storm syndrome. Elevated levels of interleukin-6 and hyperferritinemia should be considered as red flags of systemic inflammation and poor prognosis in COVID-19.

Respiratory muscle strength for discriminating frailty in community-dwelling elderly: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare obtained and predicted inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength between frail, pre-frail, and non-frail older people; to examine the association between inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength and frailty in older people; and to determine cut-off points for inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength for discriminating frailty in older people. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 379 community-dwelling older adults. Frailty was assessed using Fried's phenotype, while inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength were measured with maximum inspiratory and maximum expiratory pressures. Inferential analyses were performed using paired Student t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests, and a multinomial logistic regression model. ROC curves were constructed to establish cut-off points of maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressures for discriminating frailty and pre-frailty. RESULTS: Frail and pre-frail participants presented significantly lower mean inspiratory and expiratory pressures compared to non-frail participants; values were significantly lower than predicted. Inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength were inversely associated with frailty and pre-frailty. Cut-off points ≥-50cmH2O and ≤60cmH2O for maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressures, respectively, were established as optimal discriminators of frailty. The cut-off point ≤65cmH2O for maximum expiratory pressure was established as a discriminant for the presence of pre-frailty. CONCLUSIONS: Inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength were lower in frail than in pre-frail older adults, and lower in pre-frail than in non-frail peers. Frailty and pre-frailty were inversely associated with inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength. Cut-off points for inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength may be useful in clinical practice for discriminating frailty and pre-frailty in older adults.