Key result
Elevated CA-125 linked to ~6-fold higher odds of frailty in older adults with AHF.
Why the study?
Is elevated serum CA-125 (≥35 U/mL) associated with higher odds of frailty in adults aged 65 years or older hospitalized with acute heart failure?
Cross-Sectional (n=100)
Open-label
No
Is elevated serum CA-125 (≥35 U/mL) associated with higher odds of frailty in adults aged 65 years or older hospitalized with acute heart failure?
Odds Ratio: 6 (95% CI 2.53–14.24)
Absolute Event Rate: 72% vs 30%
p-value: p=<0.001
In older adults hospitalized with acute heart failure, elevated serum CA-125 (≥35 U/mL) is strongly associated with clinical frailty and poorer baseline functional status, suggesting its potential utility as a complementary marker of geriatric vulnerability.
Does not support routine CA-125 use for frailty screening in AHF; hypothesis-generating for its role in geriatric risk stratification.
BackgroundFrailty is common among older adults with acute heart failure (AHF) and is associated with reduced physiological reserve and functional vulnerability.Carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA-125), traditionally used as an oncologic biomarker, has also been associated with congestion and systemic inflammatory activity in heart failure.Its relationship with frailty during hospitalization for AHF remains insufficiently characterized. ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between serum CA-125 levels and frailty in adults aged 65 years or older hospitalized with AHF. MethodologyA prospective, observational, analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 100 patients hospitalized with AHF.Serum CA-125 was measured within the first 48 hours of admission and analyzed both continuously and using a cutoff of 35 U/mL.Frailty was assessed using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS).For the primary analysis, CFS scores of 1-5 were classified as non-frail and scores of 6-9 as frail.Group comparisons were performed using parametric or non-parametric tests as appropriate, and the association between elevated CA-125 and frailty was estimated using odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). ResultsFrailty was identified in 15 (30.0%) patients with CA-125 <35 U/mL and in 36 (72.0%) patients with CA-125 ≥35 U/mL.Elevated CA-125 was associated with sixfold higher odds of frailty (OR 6.00, 95% CI 2.53-14.24;p<0.001).Median CA-125 concentrations were higher in frail patients than in pre-frail and non-frail participants (48.5 vs 20.6 vs 21.6 U/mL; p=0.004).Patients with elevated CA-125 also had lower baseline Barthel Index scores (80 vs 90; p=0.013). ConclusionsElevated serum CA-125 was associated with frailty and poorer baseline functional status in older adults hospitalized with AHF.These findings, based on unadjusted analyses, support further investigation of CA-125 as a potential complementary marker of geriatric vulnerability in this population.
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Olalde-Villalobos et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Acute heart failure (n=100). Elevated serum CA-125 (≥35 U/mL) vs. Normal serum CA-125 (<35 U/mL) was evaluated on Frailty (Clinical Frailty Scale score 6-9) (OR 6.00, 95% CI 2.53-14.24, p=<0.001). Elevated serum CA-125 (≥35 U/mL) was associated with sixfold higher odds of frailty compared to levels <35 U/mL (72.0% vs 30.0%; OR 6.00, 95% CI 2.53-14.24; p<0.001) in older adults with AHF.
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