Association Between Chronic Diseases and Frailty in a Sample of Older Greek Inpatients

Previous reports have associated frailty with the existence of various chronic diseases. Especially for cardiovascular diseases, this relationship seems to be bidirectional as common pathophysiological mechanisms lead to the progression of both diseases and frailty. The study aimed to examine the relationship between chronic diseases and frailty in a sample of older Greek inpatients Methodology: In 457 consecutively admitted older patients (226, 49.5% females), the median age was 82 years (interquartile range [IQR] 75-89), and demographic factors, medical history, cause of admission, and the degree of frailty assessed with the Clinical Frailty Scale were recorded. The level of frailty was calculated for the pre-hospital status of the patients. Parametric tests and logistic regression analysis were applied to identify diseases independently associated with frailty.