Search

Diabetes increases the risk of physical dysfunction and disability. Diabetes-related complications and coexisting morbidities partially explain the deterioration in physical function. The decline in muscle mass, strength and function associated with diabetes leads to sarcopenia, frailty and eventually disability. Frailty acts as a mediator in the pathogenesis of disability in older people with diabetes and its measurement in routine daily practice is recommended. Frailty is a dynamic process which progresses from a robust condition to a pre-frail stage then frailty and eventually disability. Therefore, a multimodal intervention which includes adequate nutrition, exercise training, good glycaemic control and the use of appropriate hypoglycemic medications may help delay or prevent the progression to disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of diabetes is increasing particularly in the older age group due to the increased life expectancy. Ageing is associated with vascular and renal changes that predispose older people with diabetes to an increased risk of cardio-renal complications. This manuscript is set to review the use of the sodium glucose transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors and the glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA) in older population with diabetes especially in those with comorbidities and frailty. The recently introduced (SGLT-2) inhibitors and the GLP1-RA have shown promising cardio-renal protective outcomes. In addition to the favourable effect of glycaemic control on cardio-renal complications, these new agents seem to add additional benefits independent of their hypoglycaemic properties. The favourable outcomes have been shown in the older age group (>65 years) who were reasonably represented in the randomised controlled clinical trials. However, the evidence for those ≥75 years old is limited due to the small number of the included participants and the few clinical events. Data from both real world and post-hoc analyses of clinical trials is assuring about the use of these new agents in older people. However, it remains reasonable to express caution in using these agents in frail older people with diabetes due to high risk of adverse events in this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationships between hypoglycemia, frailty and dementia appear to be reciprocal and can lead to a vicious circle. Frailty appears to be a crucial factor increasing the risk for both hypoglycemia and dementia, initiating the reciprocal relationships. Weight loss is likely to be the underlying risk factor for frailty. Many frail older people with diabetes seem to have unnecessarily tight glycemic control, being treated with hypoglycemic medications that likely increase the risk of hypoglycemia. As patients get older with significant weight loss their glycemic targets should be reviewed, and reduction or even withdrawal of their hypoglycemic medications should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyze the effects of a program composed of resistance training and nutritional interventions on functional capacity, maximal strength, and power output after 2 years of follow-up, including 2 periods of 16 weeks of intervention followed by several weeks of intervention cessation in frail patients with type 2 diabetes. MIDPOW is a substudy of a multicenter, multimodal intervention composed of resistance training combined with a structured diabetes and nutritional education program in frail and prefrail older people with type 2 diabetes (MID-Frail). This study recruited 52 participants (mean age: 79 ± 5.6, 63% women), with type 2 diabetes mellitus, frail or prefrail using Fried's frailty phenotype. Primary outcomes of this substudy were Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and maximal power output at 30% and 80% of 1RM. Each set of 16 weeks of intervention resulted in significant improvements in SPPB performance by a mean of 36.1% at week 18 (P <.001) and 10.2% at week 68 (P <.05). Maximal power output improvements at 30% and 80% of the 1RM ranged from 45.2% to 57.2% at week 18 (P <.01–.001); and no significant changes were observed after the second period of intervention. After 2 years of follow-up, the SPPB and maximal power values observed remained significantly higher than the baseline. Resistance training combined with nutritional program improved SPPB, maximal strength, and power output in older frail patients with diabetes. These improvements were maintained above the basal levels after several weeks of intervention cessation during a 2-year follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The ongoing "Sarcopenia and Physical fRailty IN older people: multi-componenT Treatment strategies (SPRINTT)" randomized controlled trial (RCT) is testing the efficacy of a multicomponent intervention in the prevention of mobility disability in older adults with physical frailty & sarcopenia (PF&S). Here, we describe the procedures followed for PF&S case finding and screening of candidate participants for the SPRINTT RCT. We also illustrate the main demographic and clinical characteristics of eligible screenees. Methods The identification of PF&S was based on the co-occurrence of three defining elements: (1) reduced physical performance (defined as a score on the Short Physical Performance Battery between 3 and 9); (2) low muscle mass according to the criteria released by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health; and (3) absence of mobility disability (defined as ability to complete the 400-m walk test in 15 min). SPRINTT was advertised through a variety of means. Site-specific case finding strategies were developed to accommodate the variability across centers in catchment area characteristics and access to the target population. A quick "participant profiling" questionnaire was devised to facilitate PF&S case finding. Results During approximately 22 months, 12,358 prescreening interviews were completed in 17 SPRINTT sites resulting in 6710 clinic screening visits. Eventually, 1566 candidates were found to be eligible for participating in the SPRINTT RCT. Eligible screenees showed substantial physical function impairment and comorbidity burden. In most centers, project advertisement through mass media was the most rewarding case finding strategy. Conclusion PF&S case finding in the community is a challenging, but feasible task. Although largely autonomous in daily life activities, older adults with PF&S suffer from significant functional impairment and comorbidity. This subset of the older population is therefore at high risk for disability and other negative health-related events. Key strategies to consider for successfully intercepting at-risk older adults should focus on mass communication methods. Highlights • Functional status is a relevant target to foster independence and extend active lifespan. • Physical frailty & sarcopenia (PF&S) is the condition of interest in SPRINTT. • Over 1500 older adults with PF&S have been found eligible for SPRINTT. • Older people with PF&S are functionally limited and usually multimorbid and overweight. • Older adults with PF&S are at high risk for negative health-related outcomes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To assess the role of frailty in predicting death and incident disability in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Community dwelling. Participants A total of 1825 individuals ≥65 years old recruited between June 2006 and September 2009 were followed for a median of 5.5 years for mortality and 4.98 years for incident functional disability in activities of daily living. Self-reported diabetes, comorbidities (Charlson index), cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases, drug treatments, Frailty Trait Score (FTS) and Frailty Index (FI), activities of daily living, heart rate, and blood pressure among others were collected at baseline. Main outcome measures Survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier), adjusted Cox proportional-hazards models, and binary logistic regression were used to assess the relationship between frailty, comorbidity, and vascular diseases and time to death and incident disability. Results A total of 363 people had diabetes. Among them, 83 deaths and 84 cases of incident disability occurred during follow-up. People with diabetes died more frequently than those without diabetes [hazard ratio = 1.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06–1.75; P = .002], showing a poorer functional status at baseline. Survival analysis showed a relationship between frailty quartiles and the risk of death. In the adjusted Cox-models, only age and frailty indices, but not comorbidity or cardio/cerebrovascular diseases, were associated with the risk of death and incident disability after adjusting for measures of frailty. The hazard ratio for death was 1.51 (95% CI 1.28–1.77) and 1.83 (95% CI 1.49–2·26) for each 10 points increase in the FTS and FI; odds ratio for incident disability was 1·64 (95% CI 1.22–2.20) and 1·35 (95% CI 1.09–1.67) when using FI and FTS, respectively. Conclusions Frailty is an important risk factor for death and disability in older adults with diabetes, supporting the recent recommendations that frailty status should be routinely assessed in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To examine the incidence of functional or cognitive impairment and its associated factors in a sample of individuals aged 85 years or older with and without diabetes mellitus, who were free of significant impairment at baseline. Design Longitudinal study. Setting Community-based survey study of 7 primary health care centers. Participants A total of 167 individuals born in 1924 who completed 2 years of follow-up. Measurements Sociodemographic variables, the Barthel Index (BI), the Spanish version of Mini-Mental State Examination (MEC), the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), the Charlson Comorbidity Index, and a list of chronic drug prescriptions. A comparative analysis was performed between diabetic and nondiabetic patients regarding the rate of functional and cognitive impairment. In addition, in older people with diabetes experiencing incident disability, an analysis of the potential factors involved was carried out. Results The prevalence of diabetes (DM) at baseline in this population was 25.1%. After 2 years of follow-up, 66.8% of patients with DM had developed a new impairment measured as 38.1% for the defined target of loss of BI of 10 or more and 33.3% for the cognitive target (MEC scores lower than 24 or loss >4 points in MEC). In a multivariate analysis, diabetic patients had an increased risk of any new disability (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.01–4.36; P = .04). Logistic regression showed an association between any new disability and baseline scores of MNA (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.01–1.82; P = .04) and MEC (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.02–1.85; P = .003). Conclusion This study has identified that in the oldest old, community-dwelling individuals without evidence of severe functional impairment at baseline, diabetes increases the risk of incident disability in only 2 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a leading cause of disability globally. Frailty is a high-impact geriatric condition that increases the risk of negative health outcomes and imposes remarkable health and social burden. Both frailty and T2DM show multifaceted pathophysiology, phenotypic heterogeneity, and fluctuating manifestations that challenge their management, especially when the two conditions co-occur. Muscle wasting and its correlates (e.g., metabolic perturbations and functional decline) that underlie frailty may exacerbates clinical manifestations of T2DM in older people, resulting in worse prognosis. The intrinsic complexity of frailty and T2DM has hampered the identification of clinically meaningful biomarkers to track the clinical progression of the two conditions over time and to monitor the efficacy of pharmacological and lifestyle interventions. Here, we propose an innovative approach for biomarker identification that couples multi-platform analytical determinations with chemometric modeling strategies. This novel multi-marker discovery process is described in the context of the "Metabolic biomarkers of frailty in older people with type 2 diabetes mellitus" (MetaboFrail) study that aimed at identifying metabolic biomarkers of frailty in functionally limited older persons with T2DM. • Frailty and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are prevalent high-impact condition in older adults. • Muscle wasting and functional decline that underlie frailty may exacerbate clinical manifestations in older people with T2DM. • The complexity of frailty in T2DM should be approached through a multi-marker strategy. • MetaboFrail proposes a novel biomarker discovery process for frailty in T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]