Which Frailty Scale Predicts 4-Year Mortality in Community-Dwelling Turkish Elderly Better: The FRAIL Scale or the Fried Frailty Index?

Abstract

Objective: Frailty is a prevalent geriatric syndrome that can indicate mortality in the elderly. The aim of this study was to determine if there was an association between frailty and 4-year mortality in the community-dwelling Turkish older people. Materials and Methods: The Fried Frailty Index (FFI) and FRAIL scale data from the Kayseri Elderly Health Study were used. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine the association between frailty and mortality, as assessed by the FFI and FRAIL scales. Results: The 4-year mortality frequency was found at 7.2% (n=65/905).The gender-specific mortality was 2.4% (n=22) in females and 4.8% (n=43) in males. The frequency of mortality in the elderly aged ≥75 years was 12.8% (n=34/265), and in those aged 60–74 years, it was 4.8% (n=31/640). The frequency of mortality in the frail, pre-frail, and non-frail older people was 57.4%, 25.9%, and 16.7%, respectively, for the FFI. The corresponding frequency of mortality for the FRAIL scale was 20.6%, 54.0%, and 25.4%, respectively. In a multivariate analysis, male gender (OR 2.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43–4.96) and being frail (OR 5.34, 95%CI 2.45–11.67) were significantly associated with 4-year mortality according to the FFI. Conclusion: Both the FFI and FRAIL scales may be significant predictors of 4-year mortality in the sample. However, the FFI may be considered as the strongest predictor for 4-year mortality, primarily in male gender.

Keywords

• frailty
• mortality
• older people
• community-dwelling