The mediating effect of leisure activities in the relationship between depression and cognitive decline in middle age and older adults in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Depression can affect the development of cognitive functions, and there are many people with depressive symptoms and cognitive decline in the aging population. The role of mediators between depressive symptoms and the subsequent cognitive decline remains unclear. We aimed to investigate whether depressive symptoms can slow down cognitive decline through a mediator. METHODS: A total of 3,135 samples were collected in 2003, 2007, and 2011. This study used the CES-D10 and SPMSQ (Short Portable Mental State Questionnaire) to measure depression and cognitive functions. The effect of depression trajectory on the subsequent cognitive dysfunction was analyzed using multivariable logistic regression, and the mediating effect was analyzed using the Sobel test. RESULTS: The results of the multivariable linear regression analysis showed that after including different variables in each model, such as leisure activities and mobility in 2003 and 2007, women had a higher percentage of depressive symptoms in each model, compared to men. The effect of depression in 2003 on cognitive decline in 2011 was mediated by intellectual leisure activities in 2007 in men (Z=-2.01) and physical activity limitation in 2007 in women (Z=-3.02). CONCLUSIONS: The mediation effect of this study shows that people with depressive symptoms will reduce their participation in leisure activities, which will lead to the degeneration of cognitive function. We suggest that if depressive symptoms are addressed as early as possible, people will have the ability and motivation to delay the decline of cognitive function through participation in leisure activities.

Association between multimorbidity patterns and incident depression among older adults in Taiwan: the role of social participation.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has found different multimorbidity patterns that negatively affects health outcomes of older adults. However, there is scarce evidence, especially on the role of social participation in the association between multimorbidity patterns and depression. Our study aimed to explore the relationship between multimorbidity patterns and depression among older adults in Taiwan, including the social participation effect on the different multimorbidity patterns. METHODS: Data were retracted from the Taiwan longitudinal study on ageing (TLSA) for this population-based cohort study. 1,975 older adults (age > 50) were included and were followed up from 1996 to 2011. We used latent class analysis to determine participants' multimorbidity patterns in 1996, whereas their incident depression was determined in 2011 by CES-D. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyse the relationship between multimorbidity patterns and depression. RESULTS: The participants' average age was 62.1 years in 1996. Four multimorbidity patterns were discovered through latent class analysis, as follows: (1) Cardiometabolic group (n = 93), (2) Arthritis-cataract group (n = 105), (3) Multimorbidity group (n = 128) and (4) Relatively healthy group (n = 1649). Greater risk of incident depression was found among participants in the Multimorbidity group (OR: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.02-2.58) than the Relatively healthy group after the multivariable analysis. Compare to participants in the relatively healthy group with social participation, participants in the arthritis-cataract group without social participation (OR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.03-4.78) and the multimorbidity group without social participation (OR: 2.21, 95% CI: 1.14-4.30) had significantly increased risk of having depression. CONCLUSION: Distinct multimorbidity patterns among older adults in Taiwan are linked with the incident depression during later life, and social participation functioned as a protective factor.

Increased risk of psoriasis: An immune sequela of herpes zoster? Evidence from a nationwide population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Several cases of herpes zoster-induced psoriasis have been reported in the literature. OBJECTIVE: Our nationwide retrospective cohort study is designed to examine the risk association between herpes zoster and psoriasis. METHODS: From the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, 26,623 patients from 1999 to 2013 with a diagnosis of herpes zoster and no prior history of psoriasis were selected as the study subjects. The control group was established during the study period from those without a herpes zoster diagnosis and was propensity score matched to minimize confounding factors. Both cohorts were followed for cases of psoriasis development. Data analysis was done via Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox Proportional-Hazards Models. RESULTS: Comparing the study group to control, the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.66 (95% CI, 1.31-2.13: p < 0.05) after adjusting for covariates (age, gender, urbanization, selected comorbidities and selected medications use). Statistical analysis found no interaction effect among herpes zoster and other covariates for risk modification of psoriasis development. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated an increased risk of psoriasis in patients diagnosed with herpes zoster.

Transitions of self-management behaviors and frailty status among community-dwelling older adults: a national longitudinal population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Frailty in older adults is a common geriatric syndrome that could be prevented; thus, coping strategies for the aging population are essential. Self-management behaviors may represent cost-effective strategies to prevent physical frailty in community-dwelling older adults. This study aimed to describe the changes in frailty status among community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan and investigate the association between transitions of self-management behaviors and frailty status over 4 years of follow-up (2007 to 2011). METHODS: Data were retrieved from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study of Aging (TLSA), years 2007 and 2011. In this prospective cohort study, 1283 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and older without cognitive impairment were recruited. Frailty was defined based on Fried's frailty phenotype. Self-management behaviors (maintaining body weight, quitting smoking or no smoking, drinking less or no drinking, exercising, keeping diet control, and maintaining a regular lifestyle) were assessed using a questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the associations between changes in self-management behaviors and in frailty status. The age group was further stratified to examine the moderation effect in the relationship between changes in self-management behaviors and in frailty status among older adults. RESULTS: The prevalence of frailty was 8.7% at baseline and 14.9% after 4 years of follow-up, with 196 (15.3%) deaths. Overall, 514 (40.1%) participants maintained their frailty status, 424 (33.0%) worsened, and only 149 (11.6%) improved. Being aged ≥75 years old, having chronic diseases, and an absence of self-management behaviors were associated with frailty at baseline and after follow-up. Among individuals aged 65-74, compared to those who maintained no self-management behaviors, those who decreased the exercise behaviors (yes-to-no) had a higher risk of worsening (RRR = 2.518), while increasing (no-to-yes) and maintaining (yes-to-yes) frequent physical exercise were associated with a lower risk of worsening (RRR = 0.466 and 0.572, respectively) than stable frailty; those who maintained body weight (yes-to-yes) were associated with a lower risk of worsening (RRR = 0.327) than stable frailty after controlling for individual covariates and chronic diseases. Among individuals over 75 years old, compared to no exerciser, older old who decreased their physical exercise had a higher risk of frailty worsening (RRR = 3.255), and increasing frequent physical exercise (no-to-yes) was associated with an improvement in frailty status (RRR = 3.684). Age was a moderator between the effects of maintaining body weight on frailty worsening. There were no associations between the behavioral transitions of smoking, drinking, diet control, or regular lifestyle on the frailty status changes. CONCLUSIONS: Maintaining body weight and frequent physical exercise increased the ratio of frailty stability among individuals 65-74 years old. Increasing exercise behavior is the only factor to improve their frailty status among older adults aged 75 years and over. Older adults should be encouraged to perform adequate physical exercise and maintain a healthy body weight to maintain the frailty status in younger old aged 65-74 years, and especially perform more frequent exercise to improve frailty status in older old over 75 years.

The association between visual trajectories and cognitive impairment: insights from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging.

BACKGROUND: Visual impairment (VI) was associated with cognitive impairment. However, different visual trajectories might contribute to different risks of cognitive decline in the elderly. AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the association between visual trajectories and cognitive impairment. METHODS: Four thousand two hundred eight community-dwelling elder adults were identified from Waves IV-VII (1999-2011) survey of the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (TLSA). Cognitive function was determined using the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) scores. Visual impairment was self-reported and visual trajectories were assessed in at least two waves of the survey. Ordinal logistic regression was performed to estimate adjusted odds ratios (adjORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Participants with visual trajectory from no VI to VI had significantly higher risk of cognitive impairment with an adjOR of 1.69 (95% CI 1.12-2.57) than participants without VI. Compared to participants without VI, participants with persistent VI (adjOR 1.32; 95% CI 0.89-1.96) and with visual trajectory from VI to no VI (adjOR 1.25; 95% CI 0.83-1.88) were not associated with cognitive impairment. A protective association between eyeglasses use and cognitive impairment (adjOR 0.69; 95% CI 0.55-0.87) was found in this study. Importantly, cataract was associated with higher risk of cognitive impairment (adjOR 1.34; 95% CI 1.10-1.62). However, nonsurgical cataract treatment did not show protective effect on cognitive impairment in patients with cataract. CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSION: Visual trajectory from no VI to VI is a significant risk factor for cognitive impairment that physicians should pay special attention during community screening.

Relationships between Alcohol Use, Musculoskeletal Pain, and Work-Related Burnout.

Background and Objectives: Burnout affects approximately half of all nurses, physicians, and other clinicians. Alcohol use may impair performance in work-related tasks, leading to decreased productivity and morale. The present study's aim was to determine whether a causal relationship existed between alcohol use, work-related burnout (WB), and musculoskeletal pain. Materials and Methods: A total of 1633 members from a hospital affiliated with a medical university in Taichung, Taiwan, completed questionnaires in 2021, where 1615 questionnaires were declared valid. Questionnaires were used to obtain information on basic demographic variables, and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory were used. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS Enterprise Guide 6.1 software, and significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Work experience, being married, parenthood, leisure activities with family and friends, and regular weekly exercise were negatively associated with WB. In addition, overtime work, irregular and regular shift work, the physician and nurse medical profession, chronic disease (heart disease, diabetes, etc.), neck and both shoulders pain (NBSP), both ankles pain (BAP), and alcohol use frequency (AUF) were positively associated with WB. NBSP could explain the residual effect of AUF on WB. AUF was determined to mediate the relationship between NBSP and WB. In addition, NBSP was found to mediate the relationship between AUF and WB. Conclusions: The individuals who used alcohol to cope with NBSP or those with NBSP who often consumed alcohol had worsened WB due to a vicious circle of musculoskeletal pain and alcohol use. Therefore, medical staff should not consider alcohol use as an option to reduce burnout.

Association of urate-lowering drugs with the risk of future urolithiasis in patients with gout: A population-based nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with gout have an increased risk of urolithiasis and usually need urate-lowering therapy (ULT) for the prevention of disease progression. However, there is a paucity of clinical data regarding the risk of future urolithiasis in ULT users. METHODS: This nested case-control study was performed using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. The aim of this study was to examine whether ULT (xanthine oxidase inhibitors [XOIs] or uricosuric agents) is associated with risk of future urolithiasis in patients with gout. Data were collected from January 2000 to December 2012. RESULTS: This study included 2307 case patients and 2307 matched controls. Case patients had gout that developed into urolithiasis, and control patients had gout but were not diagnosed with urolithiasis during the study period. Patients had a mean age of 56.3 years at diagnosis of gout, and 83.2% were male patients. No association was detected between use of XOIs or uricosuric agents and risk of future urolithiasis. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the risk of future urolithiasis in patients exposed to various cumulative days of XOI or uricosuric prescriptions. CONCLUSION: The present study provides evidence that neither XOIs nor uricosuric agents are associated with risk of future urolithiasis in patients with gout. Before the availability of more clinical evidence, ensuring high fluid intake and prospective monitoring of urolithiasis development are still important for uricosuric agent users.

Factors affecting the growth of children till the age of three years with overweight whose mothers have diabetes mellitus: A population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) during pregnancy and childhood obesity is increasing worldwide. Factors affecting the growth of children with overweight whose mothers had DM are complicated and inconclusive. Few longitudinal studies have focused on the growth of infants with macrosomia born to mothers with DM and the factors influencing their overweight. This study explored risk factors for childhood overweight/obesity (OWOB) among children of mothers with DM. Perinatal, maternal socio-demographic, infant care, and maternal body weight characteristics as well as child growth until age 3 years were analyzed using a longitudinal design. METHODS: In total, 24,200 pairs of mothers and their children from the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study were included. Combined Taiwan Children Growth Curve report classifications were analyzed for infant growth at birth and at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months old (m/o). A multiple logistic regression analysis with different model settings was used to assess factors affecting the growth of high birth weight children of mothers with diabetic mellitus (HODM). RESULTS: Children in the HODM group had a higher average body weight than did those in the non-DM group at different age stages. Relative to the non-DM group, weight gain in the HODM group was slower before 18 m/o but faster from 18 to 36 m/o, particularly after 24 m/o. Maternal DM was a major risk factor for childhood OWOB (odds ratio [OR]: 3.25-3.95). After adjustment for related confounders, the OR was 2.19-3.17. Maternal overweight or obesity and higher gestational weight gain were greater risk factors for childhood OWOB at 3 years old after adjusted maternal DM and other selected confounders (OR: 1.45 and 1.23, respectively). Breastfeeding until 6 m/o was a protective factor against childhood OWOB (OR: 0.95). The HODM and non-DM groups did not differ significantly in perinatal, maternal socio-demographic, or infant care characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal DM is a major factor of childhood OWOB. Maternal body weight before and after pregnancy affects childhood OWOB, and this effect increases with the child's age.

Factors Associated with Post-Traumatic Symptoms in Mothers of Preterm Infants.

OBJECTIVES: Symptoms of post-traumatic distress in mothers of preterm infants have been a subject of mental health research. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of and risk factors associated with such symptoms in mothers of preterm infants in Taiwan. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study performed between January 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011. One hundred and two mothers of preterm infants born at less than 37 weeks gestation and with a subsequent neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay between 2005 and 2009 were recruited. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the neuroticism subscale of the Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI). The preterm infants' data were taken from medical records. RESULTS: The prevalence of symptoms of distress was 25.5% (26/102) in the participants. These symptoms were associated with previous miscarriages, preterm premature rupture of membranes, neurotic personality and depression. CONCLUSIONS: The experience of preterm birth and NICU hospitalization can be traumatic to mothers. Early support for mothers during the preterm infants' NICU stay and transition to home care are recommended.

BMI and all-cause mortality among middle-aged and older adults in Taiwan: a population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: The present study investigates the relationship between BMI and all-cause mortality among middle-aged and older adults with or without pre-existing diseases. DESIGN: A population-based cohort study. SETTING: The Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging is a nationwide prospective cohort study comprising a representative random sample of middle-aged and older adults. The study period was 1996-2007. SUBJECTS: We followed 4145 middle-aged and older adults, totalling 42,353 person-years. RESULTS: Overweight and mildly obese participants showed a 16% and 30% decrease in the risk of death, respectively, compared with those of normal weight after adjusting for potential covariates (e.g. demographic characteristics, health behaviour, co-morbidities and physical function). Underweight adults showed a 1.36-fold increased adjusted hazard ratio of death compared with normal-weight adults. Adults with a BMI of 27.0-28.0 kg/m(2) showed a significantly lower adjusted hazard ratio of all-cause mortality rate compared with adults who had normal BMI values when they had coexisting hypertension or diabetes (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.50; 95% CI 0.30, 0.81 for hypertension and adjusted hazard ratio=0.41; 95% CI 0.18, 0.89 for diabetes). CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates that underweight people have a higher risk of death, and overweight and mildly obese people have a lower risk of death, compared with people of normal weight among middle-aged and older adults. An optimal BMI may be based on the individual, who exhibits pre-existing diseases or not.

Association of Kawasaki disease with urbanization level and family characteristics in Taiwan: A nested case-control study using national-level data.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an inflammatory vasculitis disorder of unknown etiology. It is a rare but fatal disease and the leading cause of acquired coronary heart disease in children under the age of 5 years. We examined the association of KD with the demographics of family members, parents' characteristics, and perinatal factors in Taiwanese children. This nested case-control study used data from Taiwan's Health and Welfare Data Science Center and initially included children born in Taiwan between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2015 (n = 1,939,449); the children were observed for KD development before the age of 5 years (n = 7870). The control group consisted of children without KD who were matched with each KD case by sex and birth date at a ratio of 8:1. The odds ratio (ORs) of the aforementioned associations were estimated using conditional logistic regression. The risk of KD decreased in children with younger parents [<25 years; younger maternal age, OR = 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.66-0.79; younger paternal age, OR = 0.68, 95% CI, 0.59-0.78], lower socioeconomic status, more than 2 siblings (OR = 0.80, 95% CI, 0.73-0.89), and siblings with a history of KD (OR = 4.39, 95% CI, 3.29-5.86). Children living in suburban (OR = 0.95, 95% CI, 0.90-1.00) and rural (OR = 0.81, 95%CI, 0.74-0.90) areas exhibited a lower risk of KD than children living in urban areas. In conclusion, a higher incidence rate of KD was observed in children aged <5 years who had an urban lifestyle, had siblings with KD, were born to older mothers, and belonged to high-income and smaller families. Parental allergic or autoimmune diseases were not associated with the risk of KD.

Change in flatfoot of preschool-aged children: a 1-year follow-up study.

UNLABELLED: The main purpose of this study is to investigate the changes in the signs of flatfoot of preschool-aged children in a 1-year follow-up study. This study performed follow-up on a total of 580 preschool-aged children (boys, 297 children; girls, 283 children) with a median age of 54 (range 36-71 months), and the average follow-up period was 11.8 months. This study used the Chippaux-Smirak index (CSI) of footprint as the assessment tool, and CSI > 62.70 % was used as the standard for determining whether preschool-aged children suffered from flatfoot. The results showed that the signs of flatfoot of preschool-aged children improved with increasing age. At the 1-year follow-up, the average CSI was 5.1 % lower, and the proportion of children with flatfoot was 14 % lower. The follow-up on the change in the signs of flatfoot showed that 37.6 % of the children originally with flatfoot had improved to normal, verifying that flatfoot indeed improves with increasing age. However, the results also showed that 9.9 % of the children who originally had normal feet had developed flatfoot with increasing age, which deserves subsequent investigation. The results of the follow-up also showed that children who were relatively younger, male, obese, and experiencing excessive joint laxity were more likely to experience the signs of flatfoot. CONCLUSION: The 1-year follow-up found that some preschool-aged children with flatfoot may develop normal feet, while children with normal feet may begin to experience the signs. Relevant factors affecting flatfoot in preschool-aged children continue to require further clarification.

Depressive symptoms as an independent risk factor for mortality in elderly persons: results of a national longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: Depressive symptoms have been associated with increased mortality risk in previous cohort studies, but there is a paucity of research on Asian elderly in recent years. The authors investigated the depression-mortality link using data from a representative national cohort. METHODS: Data came from the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan. A cohort of 2416 men and women in Taiwan aged 65 or older were followed up for eight years from 1999 to 2007. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. The mortality risk of depression was computed after adjustment for a variety of covariates. Data on the presence or absence of chronic diseases were further analyzed. RESULTS: Overall, depressive symptoms were associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR), 1.21; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.03-1.42) after eight years follow-up, but this mortality risk was detected in men only (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.03-1.56), not in women (HR, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.86-1.4). Further analyses showed that in the group without chronic diseases (without diabetes mellitus, stroke, lung disease, cancer, or cognitive impairment), depressive symptoms were associated with mortality (HR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.12-1.76) after eight years follow-up; however, there was no association between depressive symptoms and mortality in participants with chronic diseases (HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.82-1.26). CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms are an independent risk factor for mortality in the elderly. Elderly depressive men and elderly without chronic diseases seemed to have a greater mortality risk.

Association between socioeconomic position trajectories and frailty among elderly people in Taiwan.

This study examined the association between socioeconomic position (SEP) trajectories and frailty in the elderly population in Taiwan. We used data from people aged 53 years and over (n = 1284) collected from wave two of the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study. Frailty was identified using the modified Fried criteria, with the scores combined to use to categorize participants as frail (score = 3-5), prefrail (score = 1 or 2) and robust (score = 0). We applied a group-based person-centered trajectory model to identify four types of SEP trajectories (low-low, 19.2%; high-low 12.5%; low-high, 35.4%; and high-high, 32.9%) to describe the social mobility patterns in the participants' lives from childhood to older age. The mean age of the study population was 65.30 ± 8.94 years, and 47.39% of the participants were women. The prevalence of frailty was 18.39%. The low-low, high-low, low-high, and high-high SEP trajectory groups were represented by 37.92%, 24.93%, 15.43%, and 7.91%, respectively, of the study population. We used multinomial logistic regression models to evaluate the association between SEP and the risk of frailty. Compared with the low-low SEP trajectory group, the high-high SEP trajectory group was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of frail and pre-frail (odds ratios 0.17 and 0.36; 95% confidence interval 0.08-0.34 and 0.21-0.61). Our results suggest that a disadvantaged life-course SEP is associated with increased risks of frailty in older age. Avoiding that unfavourable SEP trajectories over the life course translate into an increased probability of frailty is key to reducing health inequalities in elderly populations.

A chronological review of COVID-19 case fatality rate and its secular trend and investigation of all-cause mortality and hospitalization during the Delta and Omicron waves in the United States: a retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused more than 690 million deaths worldwide. Different results concerning the death rates of the Delta and Omicron variants have been recorded. We aimed to assess the secular trend of case fatality rate (CFR), identify risk factors associated with mortality following COVID-19 diagnosis, and investigate the risks of mortality and hospitalization during Delta and Omicron waves in the United States. Methods: This study assessed 2,857,925 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States from January 2020, to June 2022. The inclusion criterion was the presence of COVID-19 diagnostic codes in electronic medical record or a positive laboratory test of the SARS-CoV-2. Statistical analysis was bifurcated into two components, longitudinal analysis and comparative analysis. To assess the discrepancies in hospitalization and mortality rates for COVID-19, we identified the prevailing periods for the Delta and Omicron variants. Results: Longitudinal analysis demonstrated four sharp surges in the number of deaths and CFR. The CFR was persistently higher in males and older age. The CFR of Black and White remained higher than Asians since January 2022. In comparative analysis, the adjusted hazard ratios for all-cause mortality and hospitalization were higher in Delta wave compared to the Omicron wave. Risk of all-cause mortality was found to be greater 14-30 days after a COVID-19 diagnosis, while the likelihood of hospitalization was higher in the first 14 days following a COVID-19 diagnosis in Delta wave compared with Omicron wave. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed the cumulative probability of mortality was approximately 2-fold on day 30 in Delta than in Omicron cases (log-rank p < 0.001). The mortality risk ratio between the Delta and Omicron variants was 1.671 (95% Cl 1.615-1.729, log-rank p < 0.001). Delta also had a significantly increased mortality risk over Omicron in all age groups. The CFR of people aged above 80 years was extremely high as 17.33%. Conclusion: Male sex and age seemed to be strong and independent risk factors of mortality in COVID-19. The Delta variant appears to cause more hospitalization and death than the Omicron variant.

Additive effect of frailty with distinct multimorbidity patterns on mortality amongst middle-aged and older adults in Taiwan: A 16-year population-based study.

AIM: This study aimed to explore the association between multimorbidity patterns with/without frailty and future mortality among Taiwanese middle-aged and older adults through a population-based cohort study design. METHODS: Data were collected from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging. The data were obtained from Wave 3, with the multimorbidity patterns in the years of 1996 being analyzed through latent class analysis. Frailty was defined using the modified Fried criteria. The association between each disease group with/without frailty and mortality was examined using logistic regression, with the reference group as the Relatively healthy group without frailty. Survival analysis was performed using Cox regression, and the follow-up period of mortality was from 1 January 1996 to 31 December 2012. RESULTS: A total of 4748 middle-aged and older adults with an average age of 66.3 years (SD: 9.07 years) were included. Four disease patterns were identified in 1996, namely the Cardiometabolic (21.0%), Arthritis-cataract (11.9%), Relatively healthy (61.6%), and Multimorbidity (5.5%) groups. After adjusting for all covariates, the Relatively healthy group with frailty showed the highest risk for mortality (odds ratio: 3.66, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 2.24-5.95), followed by the Cardiometabolic group with frailty (odds ratio: 3.58, 95% CI: 1.96-6.54), Multimorbidity group with frailty (odds ratio: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.17-4.44), Multimorbidity group without frailty (odds ratio: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.01-2.04), and the Cardiometabolic group without frailty (odds ratio: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.04-1.49). CONCLUSIONS: Frailty plays an important role in mortality among middle-aged and older adults with distinct multimorbidity patterns. Middle-aged and older adults with a relatively healthy multimorbidity pattern or a cardiometabolic multimorbidity pattern with frailty encountered dismal outcomes. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 684-691.