Prevalence of Frailty Phenotypes in Older People Living with HIV: A Cross-Sectional Study from Brazil

Abstract

Background Frailty may affect people living with HIV (PLHIV) prematurely. Fried's frailty phenotype, composed of 5 criteria, is one of the most used instruments for its assessment. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of these criteria among PLHIV classified as prefrail and frail in Brazil. Methods A cross-sectional study analyzed the prevalence of the Frailty Phenotype in Brazil with 670 individuals aged ≥ 50 years and undetectable viral load. Results The prevalence of prefrail and frail individuals was 50.7% and 13.6%, respectively. A low level of physical activity was the most prevalent criterion (50.9%). Except for unintentional weight loss, all other criteria were more prevalent among individuals with lower education levels. All criteria were more prevalent among individuals of lower socioeconomic status than among those of moderate or high status ( P < .05). Conclusions A low level of physical activity was the component that most contributed to PLHIV being considered prefrail or frail.