Ann Geriatr Med Res Search

CLOSE


Ann Geriatr Med Res > Volume 28(3); 2024 > Article
Thanapluetiwong, Chattaris, Shi, Park, Sison, and Kim: Association between Drug Therapy and Risk of Incident Frailty: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Medication is a potential factor influencing frailty. However, the relationship between pharmaceutical treatments and frailty remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted the present systematic review to summarize the association between drug therapy and the risk of incident frailty in older adults. We systematically searched the MEDLINE electronic database for articles indexed between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2021, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies reporting frailty changes associated with drug therapy. A total of six RCTs and 13 cohort studies involving 211,948 participants were identified, and their treatments were categorized into six medication classes: analgesics, cardiometabolic medication, chemotherapy, central nervous system (CNS)-active medication, hormonal therapy, and nutritional supplements. While the analysis revealed that only CNS-active medications were associated with an elevated risk of frailty, other medication classes also affected frailty; however, this is not conclusively attributable to a class-wide effect.

INTRODUCTION

Frailty is a state of increased susceptibility to stress that results in adverse health outcomes.1) Currently, no gold standard exists for diagnosing frailty; however, one of the most widely applied tools is the Fried frailty phenotype, which assesses physical frailty using five criteria: unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, weakness, slow walking speed, and low physical activity.2) A previous systematic review among community-dwelling adults reported prevalence rates of frailty and pre-frailty of 12% (11%–13%) and 46% (45%–48%), respectively, when assessed based on physical frailty, while the rates based on the frailty index (FI) were 24% (22%–26%) and 49% (46%–52%), respectively.3) Moreover, the prevalence of frailty increases with age.4) In a cohort study in England, the prevalence rates of frailty in the 50–64, 65–74, 75–84, and >85 years age groups were 9.9%, 29.3%, 53.5%, and 68.8%, respectively.5)
Genetic and environmental factors, along with epigenetic mechanisms, are believed to be associated with frailty development.1) Some studies have also demonstrated that certain factors are associated with an increased risk of frailty.6-8) While an older age and female sex are unmodifiable, other factors, including a higher body mass index (BMI), living alone, low levels of exercise, polypharmacy, smoking, drinking, malnutrition, and low vitamin D levels, can be improved.6) Additionally, controlling certain comorbidities such as diabetes, hearing dysfunction, cognitive impairment, poor sleep, fall history, pain, depression, and respiratory diseases may decrease the risk of frailty.6)
Therefore, identifying the modifiable risk factors for frailty is imperative to prevent its development and progression. This could mitigate adverse health outcomes and improve the quality of life in older adults. One potentially modifiable risk factor is medication. As individuals age, they tend to have an increased burden of medication. A meta-analysis revealed a prevalence of polypharmacy of 45% among individuals aged >65 years compared with 25% among younger age groups.9) Furthermore, meta-analyses have suggested that polypharmacy increases the risk of frailty.6,8,10,11) Several cross-sectional studies have shown inconsistent results regarding the association of anticholinergic or sedative drugs with frailty.12-20) Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI),21,22) testosterone,23) and vitamin D24) may improve muscle function, leading to decreased frailty. Thus, understanding the associations between individual drug therapies and frailty may be useful in preventing frailty development and progression.25)
However, comprehensive reviews investigating the link between specific drugs or medication classes and the risk of frailty are lacking. To address this gap, we conducted the present systematic review to summarize evidence of the association between drug therapies and incident frailty in older adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data Sources and Study Selection

We conducted a systematic search of the MEDLINE electronic database for English-language articles indexed between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2021, using the keywords “drug therapy” and “frailty” to identify publications from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies that reported changes in frailty associated with drug therapies (Supplementary Table S1). We also manually searched for articles from recent publications to ensure completeness.
Studies were eligible if: (1) they were RCTs or cohort studies; (2) they used pharmacotherapy as a study intervention or exposure; and (3) they reported frailty as a study outcome. Studies were excluded if: (1) they were non-human studies, reviews, commentaries, case reports, or abstracts without full reports; (2) they did not use a pharmacotherapy intervention; or (3) they did not report the frailty status at baseline or as an outcome.
Two investigators (S.T. and T.C.) independently assessed the abstracts and full-text articles for eligibility. Disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer (D.H.K.). Our systematic search identified five RCTs and 13 cohort studies (Supplementary Fig. S1).
This systematic review was registered with the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) database (identification number: CRD42023463023).

Data Extraction

Two investigators (S.T. and T.C.) independently used a standardized form to extract study characteristics, including information on the first author, publication year, country, study type, sample size, mean age, sex, follow-up time, study population, type of medication therapy, and method of frailty measurement.
The outcome of interest was the incidence of frailty or change in frailty scores from the baseline to the end of the follow-up study after pharmacotherapy interventions.

Quality Assessment

Two investigators (S.T. and T.C.) independently evaluated each study using version 2 of the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias Tool for randomized trials (RoB 2)26) and the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale to assess the RCTs and cohort studies, respectively.27) We also assessed a new user design that reduced bias in observational studies (Supplementary Table S2). Any disagreements were resolved by a consensus involving a third reviewer (D.H.K.). We determined the overall quality of evidence for each study as having a high, moderate, or low risk of bias (Supplementary Fig. S2).

Data Synthesis

Due to the heterogeneity of the included studies, we qualitatively summarized the evidence based on the type of pharmacological intervention without performing a meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Characteristics of the Included Studies

We identified six RCTs28-33) and thirteen cohort studies.34-46) The studies were published between 2011 and 2022 and included 211,948 participants, with sample sizes ranging from 23 to 41,378 participants. The mean age of the participants ranged from 55.6 to 81.7 years. The mean follow-up duration ranged from 2 weeks to 11 years. Seventeen studies were conducted in community settings,28-32,34-37,39-46) while two were conducted in nursing home settings.33,38) Four studies included participants with no frailty at baseline.38,40,41,43) We categorized pharmacological interventions into six classes: analgesics, cardiometabolic medications, chemotherapy, central nervous system (CNS)-active medications, hormonal therapy, and nutritional supplements (Table 1).

Quality of the Included Studies

The risk of bias was low, moderate, and high in six,28,30,32,33,37,39) ten,31,34-36,38,40,41,43,45,46) and three29,42,44) studies, respectively. According to the study type, four RCTs had a low risk of bias,28,30,32,33) one had a moderate risk,31) and one had a high risk.29) Among the cohort studies, two studies had a low risk of bias,37,39) nine had a moderate risk,34-36,38,40,41,43,45,46) and two had a high risk (Supplementary Fig. S2).42,44)

Effect of Pharmacologic Interventions on Frailty

The associations between medication and frailty according to the type of medication used were summarized (Table 2). The studies used different criteria to identify frailty: seven studies used the frailty phenotype,28,33,38,43-46) six used the frailty index,28,30,32,34,35,41) three used the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) index or modified SOF,34-36,47) and two used the FRAIL scale or modified FRAIL scale.40,42) Frailty-related disease,37) Geriatrics 8 (G8) score,29) Balducci score,39) Leuven Oncogeriatric score,39) and liver frailty index31) were also used.
In the analgesic group, one study that reported the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for >60 days per year was associated with an increased risk of frailty in a cohort study of male physicians free of cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) (odds ratio [OR]=1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07–1.49).34) However, studies on aspirin use yielded conflicting results.28,35) A cohort study by Orkaby et al.35) in male physicians free of cancer and CVDs showed that aspirin use was associated with a decreased risk of frailty (OR=0.85; 95% CI, 0.76–0.96), while an RCT by Espinoza et al.28) in participants free of CVDs, dementia, and major disability showed no association with frailty (hazard ratio [HR]=1.04; 95% CI, 0.96–1.13).
In cohort studies of cardiometabolic medications, ACEI was associated with a lower risk of frailty in patients with osteoarthritis (risk ratio [RR]=0.72; 95% CI, 0.53–0.99).36) Metformin use was associated with decreased frailty-related diseases in patients with type II diabetes (absolute risk reduction [ARR] of 5% in the healthy group, 13.7% in the cancer high-risk group, 6.3% in the CVD risk group, and 23.8% in the frailty high-risk group).37) Statin use was not associated with frailty in postmenopausal women (OR=1.00; 95% CI, 0.85–1.16).38)
Regarding chemotherapy, an RCT of pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and a metronomic regimen in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer29) and a cohort study of docetaxel with a cyclophosphamide regimen in patients with breast cancer39) were not associated with frailty.
All CNS-active medications in the cohort studies were associated with an increased risk of frailty.40-43) Use of muscle relaxants in patients with diabetic kidney disease (OR=2.75; 95% CI, 1.84–4.11),40) and sleep and/or pain medications in the Health and Retirement Study (HR=1.36, 95% CI, 1.14–1.62; HR, 1.51, 95% CI, 1.36–1.68; and HR=1.82; 95% CI, 1.45–2.30)41) were associated with increased risk of frailty. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) used in patients with depression (OR=2.75; 95% CI, 1.84–4.11), and all antidepressants in patients with (OR=3.64; 95% CI, 2.41–5.53) and without depression (OR=1.79; 95% CI, 1.47–2.19)43) were associated with an increased risk of frailty.
In cohort studies of hormonal therapy, oral, buccal, or transdermal testosterone in patients with hypogonadal hyperglycemia was associated with a lower risk of frailty.44) Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in patients with prostate cancer was initially associated with an increased risk of frailty (mean adjusted difference of Fried phenotype score, ADT vs. control, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.37–1.06)45) but not after 2 years of follow-up (OR=1.86; 95% CI, 0.2–21.0).46)
In RCTs on nutritional supplementation, the administration of a protein supplement (14.7 g AXA1665) three times daily was associated with a decreased risk of frailty in patients with cirrhosis (ARR, –0.70 vs. –0.14 and a percentage change of 20.5% reduction vs. 5.0%), whereas 4.9 g of AXA1665 administered three times daily did not show the same benefit.31) A study on L-carnitine use in participants without any CVD and cancer demonstrated its possible association with a lower risk of frailty.32) In contrast, prebiotics (inulin and fructooligosaccharides) in mobile older adults free of dementia33) and vitamin D3 or omega-3 fatty acid supplements in participants free of CVDs and cancer30) were not associated with frailty.

DISCUSSION

In this systematic review of six RCTs and thirteen cohort studies of six medication classes, we found that CNS-active medications were associated with an increased risk of frailty. The other medication classes yielded inconsistent results. The studies included in our review had diverse baseline characteristics, including participant age, participant comorbidities, follow-up time, setting, population, frailty status, and frailty measurement tools. These variables could potentially influence the reliability of the outcomes, particularly when interpreted at the medication class level. Medication can influence frailty in both beneficial and detrimental ways. The potential mechanisms of medications34,40-43,45) that tend to increase the risk of frailty can be explained through their effects on increasing cardiovascular risk,34,48,49) cognitive impairment,50,51) fall and fracture risk,52-58) and fatigue and low energy.45) Conversely, some medications31,32,35-37,44) may decrease the risk of frailty by reducing inflammation and oxidative biomarkers, including interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-alpha or TNF-receptor 2, and C-reactive protein.59-61) They may also improve cardiac and vascular function,62) enhance skeletal muscle function,63) improve energy expenditure,64,65) reduce fatigue, and boost immune function.33,66-69)
In the analgesic group, non-aspirin NSAIDs were associated with a risk of frailty,34) whereas aspirin showed conflicting results. NSAIDs inhibit cyclooxygenase-2-mediated prostaglandin-2, which may increase cardiovascular risk and, subsequently, frailty.34,48,49) However, aspirin increases the production of anti-inflammatory aspirin-triggered lipoxins, thereby reducing cardiovascular risk.35,70) A long-term follow-up RCT35) reported that 325 mg aspirin was associated with a lower risk of frailty. In contrast, another RCT28) did not demonstrate an association between 100 mg aspirin and the development of frailty. This discrepancy may be because low-dose aspirin has little effect on the levels of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein.28,71-73)
In the cardiometabolic group, ACEI,36) metformin,37) and statins38) have been hypothesized to reduce the risk of frailty through anti-inflammatory mechanisms. However, only ACEI and metformin were associated with a lower risk of frailty. In addition to their anti-inflammatory effect, ACEI might reduce frailty by improving cardiac and vascular functions, increasing nitric oxide production, enhancing skeletal muscle function, and preventing age-related mitochondrial dysfunction.36,47,62,63,74,75) Contrastingly, statins were not associated with frailty. This might be because most study participants were healthy at baseline and showed improvement in frailty.38)
We observed no significant correlation between chemotherapy and frailty in patients with breast cancer.29,39) Although acute and subacute toxicity of chemotherapy could decrease patients’ fitness and quality of life, the effect might be temporary, and the patient’s frailty returned to baseline after 1 year.39) Participants receiving CNS-active medications, muscle relaxants,40) sleep and pain medications,41) SSRIs,42) and antidepressants43) appear to have increased risks of frailty through the CNS effects of these drugs. The use of CNS-active medications is linked to higher risks of cognitive impairment,50,51) immobilization,76) fall-related injuries,52-54) and fractures,55-58) which could contribute to the development of frailty.
Testosterone replacement therapy can reduce the risk of frailty in patients with late-onset hypogonadism44) by improving glucose metabolism and obesity, reducing waist circumference and BMI, and increasing physical activity energy expenditure.64,65) In contrast, ADT increased the risk of frailty in patients with PCa.45) Although ADT may affect changes in body composition, resulting in decreased physical performance, one study reported that changes in body composition were not associated with frailty.45) ADT-associated fatigue, apathy, and low energy levels may also play a role.45) However, after 2 years, ADT was not associated with frailty despite incomplete recovery of body composition, increased insulin resistance, and reduced physical aspects of quality of life.46) The frailty measure used in this study may not have been sensitive enough to detect changes in frailty.46)
Vitamin D3 or omega-3 fatty acids,30) AXA1665,31) L-carnitine,32) and probiotics33) may reduce the risk of frailty by improving skeletal muscle and physical function.30-33) However, only AXA1665 and L-carnitine demonstrated decreased risks of frailty.31,32) One study showed that vitamin D3 or omega-3 fatty acid supplementation failed to improve frailty in healthy participants,30) although low levels of vitamin D or omega-3 fatty acid supplementation were associated with frailty and sarcopenia.77,78) Moreover, while probiotics do not affect frailty,33) they can improve exhaustion and handgrip strength, which are assumed to improve immune function, leading to decreased cytokine production and reduced macrophage activation.33,66-69)
The various frailty assessment methods used in the included studies make it challenging to compare outcomes across studies. Modifications to validated frailty assessments may lead to the misclassification of frailty status.79) Some studies have used existing databases that were not primarily designed to measure frailty. Studies by Orkaby et al.34,35) and Brouwers et al.39) reported different results depending on the frailty definitions. This highlights the importance of specifying a frailty definition before conducting a trial and using validated frailty measurements.
This is the first systematic review to demonstrate the potential positive and negative influences of medication on frailty. However, only CNS-active medications showed a class effect, leading to an increased risk of frailty. Consequently, our findings suggest that physicians should take care when prescribing CNS-active medications to prevent frailty onset and mitigate the worsening of frailty in vulnerable groups. Furthermore, the necessity of CNS-active medications for patients already receiving them should be reviewed and reconsidered. This approach could potentially prevent frailty onset or improve the condition of patients with frailty.
Future research should focus on a broader range of medications that could potentially increase the risk of frailty as well as those that could decrease this risk as potential treatments for frailty. To enhance the reliability of this study, we recommend conducting additional RCTs or employing new user designs in observational studies. Additionally, a prolonged follow-up period should be considered in these studies because some medications may exert long-term effects on frailty.

Limitations

Our systematic review is limited by the risk of bias, inconsistent results, and significant heterogeneity in the study population, medication classes, and frailty measurements. As most of the included studies examined medications intended to treat patients with specific conditions, the results may not apply to the general population. Publication bias could be a concern because we only searched the MEDLINE database and limited the search to English-language publications.

Conclusion

The results of this systematic review revealed moderate evidence of a possible association between CNS-active medications and an increased risk of frailty, little evidence of associations between ACE and metformin with a decreased risk of frailty, and associations between NSAIDs and an increased risk of frailty. Further research is warranted to confirm the findings of these studies, elucidate the underlying mechanisms, and explore the effects of other commonly used medications on frailty.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Hinda and the Arthur Marcus, Institute for Aging Research, as well as Hebrew SeniorLife for all their support.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The researchers claim no conflicts of interest.

FUNDING

Dr. Kim has been supported by the grant K24AG073527 from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health. He received personal fee from Alosa Health (ended on 12/31/2022) and VillageMD (ended on 12/13/2022) for unrelated work. Dr. Shi received funding from the National Institute on Aging and NIH (R03 AG078894).

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS

Study design, ST, TC, DHK; Data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation, ST, TC, SMS, CMP, SDMS, DHK; Writing of the first draft, ST, DHK; Revision of the first draft for important intellectual content, ST, TC, SMS, CMP, SDMS, DHK; All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

Supplementary materials can be found via https://doi.org/10.4235/agmr.24.0034.
Supplementary Table S1.
Systematic search strategy
agmr-24-0034-Supplementary-Table-S1.pdf
Supplementary Table S2.
Assessment of study quality (revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials, RoB 2)
agmr-24-0034-Supplementary-Table-S2.pdf
Supplementary Fig. S1.
Summary of evidence search and selection.
agmr-24-0034-Supplementary-Fig-S1.pdf
Supplementary Fig. S2.
Quality of evidence for the studies: (A) randomized controlled trial studies and (B) cohort studies.
agmr-24-0034-Supplementary-Fig-S2.pdf

Table 1.
Characteristics of the studies
First author (y) Country Study type Sample size Mean age (y) Female (%) Follow-up time Baseline frailty (%) Setting Population Intervention
Analgesics
 Orkaby (2022)34) United States Cohort 12,101 70.0 0 11 y FI 20.3 Community Male physicians free of cancer and CVD NSAID (vs. no NSAID)
mSOF 10.1
 Orkaby (2021)35) United States Cohort 12,101 70.5 0 11 y N/A Community Male physicians free of cancer and CVD Aspirin>60 day/y (vs. ≤60 day/y)
 Espinoza (2022)28) Australia and United States RCT 19,114 73.8 56.4 4.7 y 8.1 Community Participants free of CVD, dementia, and major disability Aspirin (vs. no aspirin)
Cardiometabolic medication
 Veronese (2019)36) United States Cohort 4,796 61.2 58.1 8 y 7.8 Community Osteoarthritis ACEI (vs. no ACEI)
 Wang (2017)37) United States Cohort 41,204 74.6 0 9 y 14.9 Community Type 2 diabetes Metformin (vs. no metformin)
 LaCroix (2008)38) United States Cohort 25,378 70.6 100 3 y N/A Nursing home Postmenopausal women Statin (vs. no statin)
Chemotherapy
 Wildiers (2018)29) 8 Countries in Europe RCT 80 76.8 100 16.6 mo 70.9 Community HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer Pertuzumab, trastuzumab and metronomic chemotherapy (vs. pertuzumab and trastuzumab)
 Brouwers (2016)39) Belgium Cohort 109 74.2 100 1 y 44.4 Community Breast cancer Chemotherapy (docetaxel and cyclophosphamide) (vs. no chemotherapy)
CNS-active medication
 Lee (2021)40) Taiwan Cohort 23,274 66.5 42.1 2.5 y 0 Community Diabetic kidney disease Muscle relaxant (vs. no muscle relaxant)
 Cil (2019)41) United States Cohort 14,208 72.8 54.1 5.4 y 0 Community Health and retirement study Sleep and pain medications (vs. no medications)
 Aprahamian (2019)42) Brazil Cohort 881 81.7 72.9 1 y N/A Community Depression SSRI (vs. no SSRI)
 Lakey (2012)43) United States Cohort 33,324 71.2 100 3 y 0 Community Depression Antidepressant (vs. no antidepressant)
Hormonal therapy
 Strollo (2013)44) Italy Cohort 64 69.5 0 6 mo N/A Community Hypogonadal hyperglycemic patients Oral, buccal, or transdermal testosterone (vs. no testosterone)
 Cheung (2016)45) Australia Cohort 63 69.0 0 1 y N/A Community Prostate cancer ADT (vs. no ADT)
 Cheung (2018)46) Australia Cohort 63 69.0 0 2.3 y 56.5 Community Prostate cancer ADT (vs. no ADT)
Nutritional supplement
 Orkaby (2022)30) United States RCT 25,057 67.2 50.7 5 y N/A Community Participants free of CVD and cancer Vitamin D3, or omega-3 fatty acid (vs. no medication)
 Chakravarthy (2020)31) United States RCT 23 55.6 30.4 2 wk N/A Community Cirrhosis AXA1665 (vs. no AXA1665)
 Badrasawi (2016)32) Malaysia RCT 58 68.5 54.0 10 wk N/A Community Healthy older adults L-carnitine (vs. no L-carnitine)
 Buigues (2016)33) Spain RCT 50 73.8 70.0 13 wk N/A Nursing home Older adults free of dementia and able to walk Prebiotic (inulin and fructooligosaccharides) (vs. maltodextrin)

ACEI, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; ADT, androgen deprivation therapy; CNS, central nervous system; CVD, cardiovascular disease; N/A, not applicable; NSAID, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; RCT, randomized controlled trial; SSRI, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; FI, frailty index; mSOF, modified Study of Osteoporotic Fractures.

Table 2.
Summary of associations between medication and frailty
First author (y) Intervention Frailty measure Association with frailty
Analgesics
 Orkaby (2022)34) NSAID (vs. no NSAID) Frailty index OR (95% CI) vs. no NSAID
Modified SOF index  1–12 day/y: 0.90 (0.80–1.02)
 13–60 day/y: 1.02 (0.89–1.17)
 >60 day/y: 1.26 (1.07–1.49)
OR (95% CI) vs. no NSAID
 1–12 day/y: 1.15 (0.96–1.37)
 13–60 day/y: 1.53 (1.27–1.85)
 >60 day/y: 1.95 (1.56–2.43)
 Orkaby (2021)35) Aspirin>60 day/y (vs. ≤60 day/yr) Frailty index OR (95% CI): 0.85 (0.76–0.96)
Modified SOF index OR (95% CI): 0.84 (0.72–0.99)
 Espinoza (2022)28) Aspirin (vs. no aspirin) Frailty phenotype HR (95% CI): 1.04 (0.96–1.13)
Frailty index HR (95% CI): 1.03 (0.97–1.10)
Cardiometabolic medications
 Veronese (2019)36) ACEI (vs. no ACEI) SOF index RR (95% CI): 0.72 (0.53–0.99)
 Wang (2017)37) Metfomin (vs. no metformin) Frailty-related disease ARR vs. no metformin
 Healthy group: 5%
 High cancer risk group: 13.7%
 High CVD risk group: 6.3%
 High frailty risk group: 23.8%
 LaCroix (2008)38) Statin (vs. no statin) Frailty phenotype OR (95% CI): 1.00 (0.85–1.16)
Chemotherapy
 Wildiers (2018)29) Pertuzumab and trastuzumab and metronomic chemotherapy (vs. pertuzumab and trastuzumab) G8 score No association with frailty
 Brouwers (2016)39) Chemotherapy (docetaxel and cyclophosphamide) (vs. no chemotherapy) Balducci score No association with frailty
Leuven oncogeriatric Frailty score Increased frailty at 3 months in chemotherapy group and no difference at 12 months
CNS-active medications
 Lee (2021)40) Muscle relaxant (vs. no muscle relaxant) Modified FRAIL scale HR (95% CI): 1.26 (1.04–1.53)
 Cil (2019)41) Sleep, pain, or sleep and pain medications (vs. no medication) Frailty index sHR (95% CI) vs. no sleep or pain medication use
 Sleep medication only: 1.36 (1.14–1.62)
 Pain medication only: 1.51 (1.36–1.68)
 Both sleep and pain medications: 1.82 (1.45–2.30)
 Aprahamian (2019)42) SSRI (vs. no SSRI) FRAIL scale OR (95% CI): 2.75 (1.84–4.11)
 Lakey (2012)43) Antidepressant (vs. no antidepressant) Frailty phenotype OR (95% CI) vs. no antidepressant
 Patients without depression: 1.79 (1.47–2.19)
 Patients with depression: 3.64 (2.41–5.53)
Hormonal therapy
 Strollo (2013)44) Oral, buccal or transdermal testosterone (vs. no testosterone) Frailty phenotype Lower risk of frailty
 Cheung (2016)45) ADT (vs. no ADT) Frailty phenotype Mean difference (95% CI): 0.72 (0.37–1.06)
 Cheung (2018)46) 2 years after ADT (vs. no ADT) Frailty phenotype OR (95% CI): 1.86 (0.2–21)
Nutritional supplement
 Orkaby (2022)30) Vitamin D3, or omega-3 fatty acid (vs. no medication) Frailty index Mean difference vs. no vitamin D3 or omega-3 fatty acid use
 Vitamin D3: –0.0002 (no association with frailty)
 Omega-3 fatty acid: –0.0001 (no association with frailty)
 Chakravarthy (2020)31) AXA1665 (vs. no AXA1665) Liver frailty index ARR (95% CI) vs. no AXA1665
 AXA1665 14.7 g×3/day: lower risk of frailty
 AXA1665 4.9 g×3/day: no association with frailty
 Badrasawi (2016)32) L-carnitine (vs. no L-carnitine) Frailty index Lower risk of frailty
 Buigues (2016)33) Prebiotic (inulin and fructooligosaccharides) (vs. maltodextrin) Frailty phenotype No association with frailty

ACEI, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; ADT, androgen deprivation therapy; ARR, absolute risk reduction; CI, confidence interval; CNS, central nervous system; CVD, cardiovascular disease; G8, Geriatrics 8; NSAID, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; OR, odds ratio; RR, relative ratio; sHR, sub-distribution hazard ratio; SOF, Study of Osteoporotic Fractures; SSRI, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.

REFERENCES

1. Clegg A, Young J, Iliffe S, Rikkert MO, Rockwood K. Frailty in elderly people. Lancet 2013;381:752–62.
crossref pmid pmc
2. Fried LP, Tangen CM, Walston J, Newman AB, Hirsch C, Gottdiener J, et al. Frailty in older adults: evidence for a phenotype. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2001;56:M146–56.
crossref pmid
3. O’Caoimh R, Sezgin D, O’Donovan MR, Molloy DW, Clegg A, Rockwood K, et al. Prevalence of frailty in 62 countries across the world: a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-level studies. Age Ageing 2021;50:96–104.
crossref pmid pdf
4. Collard RM, Boter H, Schoevers RA, Oude Voshaar RC. Prevalence of frailty in community-dwelling older persons: a systematic review. J Am Geriatr Soc 2012;60:1487–92.
crossref pmid
5. Fogg C, Fraser SD, Roderick P, de Lusignan S, Clegg A, Brailsford S, et al. The dynamics of frailty development and progression in older adults in primary care in England (2006-2017): a retrospective cohort profile. BMC Geriatr 2022;22:30.
crossref pmid pmc pdf
6. Wang X, Hu J, Wu D. Risk factors for frailty in older adults. Medicine (Baltimore) 2022;101:e30169.
crossref pmid pmc
7. Tchalla A, Laubarie-Mouret C, Cardinaud N, Gayot C, Rebiere M, Dumoitier N, et al. Risk factors of frailty and functional disability in community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional analysis of the FREEDOM-LNA cohort study. BMC Geriatr 2022;22:762.
crossref pmid pmc pdf
8. Qin Y, Hao X, Lv M, Zhao X, Wu S, Li K. A global perspective on risk factors for frailty in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2023;105:104844.
crossref pmid
9. Delara M, Murray L, Jafari B, Bahji A, Goodarzi Z, Kirkham J, et al. Prevalence and factors associated with polypharmacy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Geriatr 2022;22:601.
crossref pmid pmc pdf
10. Gutierrez-Valencia M, Izquierdo M, Cesari M, Casas-Herrero A, Inzitari M, Martinez-Velilla N. The relationship between frailty and polypharmacy in older people: a systematic review. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2018;84:1432–44.
crossref pmid pmc pdf
11. Palmer K, Villani ER, Vetrano DL, Cherubini A, Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Curtin D, et al. Association of polypharmacy and hyperpolypharmacy with frailty states: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Geriatr Med 2019;10:9–36.
crossref pmid pdf
12. Moulis F, Moulis G, Balardy L, Gerard S, Montastruc F, Sourdet S, et al. Exposure to atropinic drugs and frailty status. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2015;16:253–7.
crossref pmid
13. O’Connell J, Henman MC, McMahon N, Burke E, McCallion P, McCarron M, et al. Medication burden and frailty in older adults with intellectual disability: an observational cross-sectional study. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2020;29:482–92.
crossref pmid pdf
14. Reallon E, Chavent B, Gervais F, Dauphinot V, Vernaudon J, Krolak-Salmon P, et al. Medication exposure and frailty in older community-dwelling patients: a cross-sectional study. Int J Clin Pharm 2020;42:508–14.
crossref pmid pdf
15. Ruiz SJ, Cevallos V, Baskaran D, Mintzer MJ, Ruiz JG. The cross-sectional association of frailty with past and current exposure to strong anticholinergic drugs. Aging Clin Exp Res 2021;33:2283–9.
crossref pmid pdf
16. Lim R, Kalisch Ellett LM, Widagdo IS, Pratt NL, Roughead EE. Analysis of anticholinergic and sedative medicine effects on physical function, cognitive function, appetite and frailty: a cross-sectional study in Australia. BMJ Open 2019;9:e029221.
crossref pmid pmc
17. Herr M, Sirven N, Grondin H, Pichetti S, Sermet C. Frailty, polypharmacy, and potentially inappropriate medications in old people: findings in a representative sample of the French population. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2017;73:1165–72.
crossref pmid pdf
18. Kumar S, Hasan SS, Wong PS, Chong DW, Kairuz T. Anticholinergic burden, sleep quality and health outcomes in Malaysian aged care home residents. Pharmacy (Basel) 2019;7:143.
crossref pmid pmc
19. Lampela P, Taipale H, Hartikainen S. Association between anticholinergic load and frailty in community-dwelling older people. J Am Geriatr Soc 2016;64:671–2.
crossref pmid pdf
20. Peklar J, O’Halloran AM, Maidment ID, Henman MC, Kenny RA, Kos M. Sedative load and frailty among community-dwelling population aged ≥65 years. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2015;16:282–9.
crossref pmid
21. Sumukadas D, Witham MD, Struthers AD, McMurdo ME. Effect of perindopril on physical function in elderly people with functional impairment: a randomized controlled trial. CMAJ 2007;177:867–74.
crossref pmid pmc
22. Onder G, Penninx BW, Balkrishnan R, Fried LP, Chaves PH, Williamson J, et al. Relation between use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and muscle strength and physical function in older women: an observational study. Lancet 2002;359:926–30.
crossref pmid
23. Basaria S, Coviello AD, Travison TG, Storer TW, Farwell WR, Jette AM, et al. Adverse events associated with testosterone administration. N Engl J Med 2010;363:109–22.
crossref pmid pmc
24. Wicherts IS, van Schoor NM, Boeke AJ, Visser M, Deeg DJ, Smit J, et al. Vitamin D status predicts physical performance and its decline in older persons. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2007;92:2058–65.
crossref pmid pdf
25. Ibrahim K, Cox NJ, Stevenson JM, Lim S, Fraser SD, Roberts HC. A systematic review of the evidence for deprescribing interventions among older people living with frailty. BMC Geriatr 2021;21:258.
crossref pmid pmc pdf
26. Sterne JA, Savovic J, Page MJ, Elbers RG, Blencowe NS, Boutron I, et al. RoB 2: a revised tool for assessing risk of bias in randomized trials. BMJ 2019;366:l4898.
crossref pmid
27. Stang A. Critical evaluation of the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for the assessment of the quality of nonrandomized studies in meta-analyses. Eur J Epidemiol 2010;25:603–5.
crossref pmid pdf
28. Espinoza SE, Woods RL, Ekram AR, Ernst ME, Polekhina G, Wolfe R, et al. The effect of low-dose aspirin on frailty phenotype and frailty index in community-dwelling older adults in the ASPirin in reducing events in the elderly study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2022;77:2007–14.
crossref pmid pdf
29. Wildiers H, Tryfonidis K, Dal Lago L, Vuylsteke P, Curigliano G, Waters S, et al. Pertuzumab and trastuzumab with or without metronomic chemotherapy for older patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (EORTC 75111-10114): an open-label, randomised, phase 2 trial from the Elderly Task Force/Breast Cancer Group. Lancet Oncol 2018;19:323–36.
crossref pmid
30. Orkaby AR, Dushkes R, Ward R, Djousse L, Buring JE, Lee IM, et al. Effect of vitamin D3 and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on risk of frailty: an ancillary study of a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Netw Open 2022;5:e2231206.
crossref pmid pmc
31. Chakravarthy MV, Neutel J, Confer S, Zhao P, Tatsuta N, Rebello S, et al. Safety, tolerability, and physiological effects of AXA1665, a novel composition of amino acids, in subjects with Child-Pugh A and B cirrhosis. Clin Transl Gastroenterol 2020;11:e00222.
crossref pmid pmc
32. Badrasawi M, Shahar S, Zahara AM, Nor Fadilah R, Singh DK. Efficacy of L-carnitine supplementation on frailty status and its biomarkers, nutritional status, and physical and cognitive function among prefrail older adults: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Clin Interv Aging 2016;11:1675–86.
crossref pmid pmc pdf
33. Buigues C, Fernandez-Garrido J, Pruimboom L, Hoogland AJ, Navarro-Martinez R, Martinez-Martinez M, et al. Effect of a prebiotic formulation on frailty syndrome: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial. Int J Mol Sci 2016;17:932.
crossref pmid pmc
34. Orkaby AR, Ward R, Chen J, Shanbhag A, Sesso HD, Gaziano JM, et al. Influence of long-term nonaspirin NSAID use on risk of frailty in men ≥60 years: the physicians’ health study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2022;77:1048–54.
crossref pmid pmc pdf
35. Orkaby AR, Yang L, Dufour AB, Travison TG, Sesso HD, Driver JA, et al. Association between long-term aspirin use and frailty in men: the physicians’ health study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2021;76:1077–83.
crossref pmid pdf
36. Veronese N, Stubbs B, Smith L, Maggi S, Jackson SE, Soysal P, et al. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use and incident frailty: a longitudinal cohort study. Drugs Aging 2019;36:387–93.
crossref pmid pdf
37. Wang CP, Lorenzo C, Habib SL, Jo B, Espinoza SE. Differential effects of metformin on age related comorbidities in older men with type 2 diabetes. J Diabetes Complications 2017;31:679–86.
crossref pmid pmc
38. LaCroix AZ, Gray SL, Aragaki A, Cochrane BB, Newman AB, Kooperberg CL, et al. Statin use and incident frailty in women aged 65 years or older: prospective findings from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2008;63:369–75.
crossref pmid
39. Brouwers B, Hatse S, Dal Lago L, Neven P, Vuylsteke P, Dalmasso B, et al. The impact of adjuvant chemotherapy in older breast cancer patients on clinical and biological aging parameters. Oncotarget 2016;7:29977–88.
crossref pmid pmc
40. Lee SY, Wang J, Tsai HB, Chao CT, Chien KL, Huang JW. Muscle relaxant use and the associated risk of incident frailty in patients with diabetic kidney disease: a longitudinal cohort study. Ther Adv Drug Saf 2021;12:20420986211014639.
crossref pmid pmc pdf
41. Cil G, Park J, Bergen AW. Self-reported prescription drug use for pain and for sleep and incident frailty. J Am Geriatr Soc 2019;67:2474–81.
crossref pmid pdf
42. Aprahamian I, Suemoto CK, Lin SM, de Siqueira AS, Biella MM, de Melo BA, et al. Depression is associated with self-rated frailty in older adults from an outpatient clinic: a prospective study. Int Psychogeriatr 2019;31:425–34.
crossref pmid
43. Lakey SL, LaCroix AZ, Gray SL, Borson S, Williams CD, Calhoun D, et al. Antidepressant use, depressive symptoms, and incident frailty in women aged 65 and older from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study. J Am Geriatr Soc 2012;60:854–61.
crossref pmid pmc
44. Strollo F, Strollo G, More M, Magni P, Macchi C, Masini MA, et al. Low-intermediate dose testosterone replacement therapy by different pharmaceutical preparations improves frailty score in elderly hypogonadal hyperglycaemic patients. Aging Male 2013;16:33–7.
crossref pmid
45. Cheung AS, Hoermann R, Dupuis P, Joon DL, Zajac JD, Grossmann M. Relationships between insulin resistance and frailty with body composition and testosterone in men undergoing androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. Eur J Endocrinol 2016;175:229–37.
crossref pmid
46. Cheung AS, Tinson AJ, Milevski SV, Hoermann R, Zajac JD, Grossmann M. Persisting adverse body composition changes 2 years after cessation of androgen deprivation therapy for localised prostate cancer. Eur J Endocrinol 2018;179:21–9.
crossref pmid
47. Kitakaze M, Node K, Minamino T, Asanuma H, Ueda Y, Kosaka H, et al. Inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme increases the nitric oxide levels in canine ischemic myocardium. J Mol Cell Cardiol 1998;30:2461–6.
crossref pmid
48. Afilalo J, Alexander KP, Mack MJ, Maurer MS, Green P, Allen LA, et al. Frailty assessment in the cardiovascular care of older adults. J Am Coll Cardiol 2014;63:747–62.
crossref pmid
49. Brune K, Patrignani P. New insights into the use of currently available non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. J Pain Res 2015;8:105–18.
crossref pmid pmc
50. Wright RM, Roumani YF, Boudreau R, Newman AB, Ruby CM, Studenski SA, et al. Effect of central nervous system medication use on decline in cognition in community-dwelling older adults: findings from the Health, Aging And Body Composition Study. J Am Geriatr Soc 2009;57:243–50.
crossref pmid pmc
51. Puustinen J, Nurminen J, Lopponen M, Vahlberg T, Isoaho R, Raiha I, et al. Use of CNS medications and cognitive decline in the aged: a longitudinal population-based study. BMC Geriatr 2011;11:70.
crossref pmid pmc pdf
52. Hart LA, Walker R, Phelan EA, Marcum ZA, Schwartz NR, Crane PK, et al. Change in central nervous system-active medication use following fall-related injury in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 2022;70:168–77.
crossref pmid pdf
53. Gray SL, Marcum ZA, Dublin S, Walker R, Golchin N, Rosenberg DE, et al. Association between medications acting on the central nervous system and fall-related injuries in community-dwelling older adults: a new user cohort study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2020;75:1003–9.
crossref pmid pdf
54. Hanlon JT, Zhao X, Naples JG, Aspinall SL, Perera S, Nace DA, et al. Central nervous system medication burden and serious falls in older nursing home residents. J Am Geriatr Soc 2017;65:1183–9.
crossref pmid pmc pdf
55. Vestergaard P, Rejnmark L, Mosekilde L. Anxiolytics, sedatives, antidepressants, neuroleptics and the risk of fracture. Osteoporos Int 2006;17:807–16.
crossref pmid pdf
56. Ziere G, Dieleman JP, van der Cammen TJ, Hofman A, Pols HA, Stricker BH. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibiting antidepressants are associated with an increased risk of nonvertebral fractures. J Clin Psychopharmacol 2008;28:411–7.
crossref pmid
57. Woolcott JC, Richardson KJ, Wiens MO, Patel B, Marin J, Khan KM, et al. Meta-analysis of the impact of 9 medication classes on falls in elderly persons. Arch Intern Med 2009;169:1952–60.
crossref pmid
58. Leipzig RM, Cumming RG, Tinetti ME. Drugs and falls in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis: II. cardiac and analgesic drugs. J Am Geriatr Soc 1999;47:40–50.
crossref pmid
59. Lopez-Otin C, Blasco MA, Partridge L, Serrano M, Kroemer G. The hallmarks of aging. Cell 2013;153:1194–217.
crossref pmid pmc
60. Liu CK, Lyass A, Larson MG, Massaro JM, Wang N, D’Agostino RB Sr, et al. Biomarkers of oxidative stress are associated with frailty: the Framingham Offspring Study. Age (Dordr) 2016;38:1.
crossref pmid pdf
61. Soysal P, Stubbs B, Lucato P, Luchini C, Solmi M, Peluso R, et al. Inflammation and frailty in the elderly: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ageing Res Rev 2016;31:1–8.
crossref pmid
62. Brown NJ, Vaughan DE. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Circulation 1998;97:1411–20.
crossref pmid
63. Stamler JS, Meissner G. Physiology of nitric oxide in skeletal muscle. Physiol Rev 2001;81:209–37.
crossref pmid
64. Saad F, Aversa A, Isidori AM, Gooren LJ. Testosterone as potential effective therapy in treatment of obesity in men with testosterone deficiency: a review. Curr Diabetes Rev 2012;8:131–43.
crossref pmid pmc
65. Tribess S, Virtuoso Junior JS, Oliveira RJ. Physical activity as a predictor of absence of frailty in the elderly. Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992) 2012;58:341–7.
crossref pmid
66. Toward R, Montandon S, Walton G, Gibson GR. Effect of prebiotics on the human gut microbiota of elderly persons. Gut Microbes 2012;3:57–60.
crossref pmid
67. Bindels LB, Delzenne NM. Muscle wasting: the gut microbiota as a new therapeutic target? Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2013;45:2186–90.
crossref pmid
68. Jeong JJ, Kim KA, Jang SE, Woo JY, Han MJ, Kim DH. Orally administrated Lactobacillus pentosus var. plantarum C29 ameliorates age-dependent colitis by inhibiting the nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway via the regulation of lipopolysaccharide production by gut microbiota. PLoS One 2015;10:e0116533.
crossref pmid pmc
69. Staudacher HM, Whelan K. Altered gastrointestinal microbiota in irritable bowel syndrome and its modification by diet: probiotics, prebiotics and the low FODMAP diet. Proc Nutr Soc 2016;75:306–18.
crossref pmid
70. Zhou Y, Boudreau DM, Freedman AN. Trends in the use of aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the general U.S. population. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2014;23:43–50.
crossref pmid pdf
71. Feldman M, Jialal I, Devaraj S, Cryer B. Effects of low-dose aspirin on serum C-reactive protein and thromboxane B2 concentrations: a placebo-controlled study using a highly sensitive C-reactive protein assay. J Am Coll Cardiol 2001;37:2036–41.
crossref pmid
72. Kim MA, Kim CJ, Seo JB, Chung WY, Kim SH, Zo JH, et al. The effect of aspirin on C-reactive protein in hypertensive patients. Clin Exp Hypertens 2011;33:47–52.
crossref pmid
73. Hovens MM, Snoep JD, Groeneveld Y, Frolich M, Tamsma JT, Huisman MV. Effects of aspirin on serum C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels in patients with type 2 diabetes without cardiovascular disease: a randomized placebo-controlled crossover trial. Diabetes Obes Metab 2008;10:668–74.
crossref pmid
74. Kortekaas KE, Meijer CA, Hinnen JW, Dalman RL, Xu B, Hamming JF, et al. ACE inhibitors potently reduce vascular inflammation, results of an open proof-of-concept study in the abdominal aortic aneurysm. PLoS One 2014;9:e111952.
crossref pmid pmc
75. Ferder L, Inserra F, Romano L, Ercole L, Pszenny V. Effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition on mitochondrial number in the aging mouse. Am J Physiol 1993;265:C15–8.
crossref pmid
76. Boudreau RM, Hanlon JT, Roumani YF, Studenski SA, Ruby CM, Wright RM, et al. Central nervous system medication use and incident mobility limitation in community elders: the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2009;18:916–22.
crossref pmid pmc pdf
77. Artaza-Artabe I, Saez-Lopez P, Sanchez-Hernandez N, Fernandez-Gutierrez N, Malafarina V. The relationship between nutrition and frailty: effects of protein intake, nutritional supplementation, vitamin D and exercise on muscle metabolism in the elderly: a systematic review. Maturitas 2016;93:89–99.
crossref pmid
78. Dupont J, Dedeyne L, Dalle S, Koppo K, Gielen E. The role of omega-3 in the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia. Aging Clin Exp Res 2019;31:825–36.
crossref pmid pmc pdf
79. Theou O, Cann L, Blodgett J, Wallace LM, Brothers TD, Rockwood K. Modifications to the frailty phenotype criteria: systematic review of the current literature and investigation of 262 frailty phenotypes in the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe. Ageing Res Rev 2015;21:78–94.
crossref pmid


ABOUT
ARTICLE & TOPICS
Article Category

Browse all articles >

TOPICS

Browse all articles >

BROWSE ARTICLES
EDITORIAL POLICY
FOR CONTRIBUTORS
Editorial Office
#401 Yuksam Hyundai Venturetel, 20, Teheran-ro 25-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06132, Korea
Tel: +82-2-2269-1039    Fax: +82-2-2269-1040    E-mail: agmr.editorial@gmail.com                

Copyright © 2024 by Korean Geriatrics Society.

Developed in M2PI

Close layer
prev next