Inflammation and frailty in older women.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate relationships between white blood cell (WBC) count and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and prevalent frailty.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Two population-based studies, the Women's Health and Aging Studies (WHAS) I and II, Baltimore, Maryland.


METHODS
Five hundred fifty-eight women aged 65 to 101 from WHAS I and 548 women aged 70 to 79 from the merged WHAS I and II cohorts.


METHODS
Frailty was determined using validated screening criteria. WBC counts and IL-6 levels were measured using standard laboratory methods. Odds ratios (ORs) for frailty were evaluated across tertiles of baseline WBC counts and IL-6 levels, adjusting for age, race, education, body mass index, and smoking status.


RESULTS
In WHAS I, those in the top tertile of WBC count and IL-6 had ORs of 4.25 (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.89-9.58) and 3.98 (95% CI=1.76-9.00), respectively, for frailty (both P<.001). In the combined models, participants in the top tertile of WBC count had an OR of 3.15 (95% CI=1.34-7.41), adjusting for IL-6 (P<.01), and those in the top tertile of IL-6 had an OR of 2.81 (95% CI=1.19-6.64), adjusting for WBC count (P<.05). Furthermore, participants in the top tertiles of WBC count and IL-6 had an OR of 9.85 (95% CI=3.04-31.99), and those in the middle/top tertiles had an OR of 5.40 (95% CI=1.83-15.92) (P<.001, trend test) for frailty. These results were validated in the merged WHAS I and II.


CONCLUSIONS
Higher WBC counts and IL-6 levels were independently associated with prevalent frailty in community-dwelling older women.
Leng
Sean X
SX
Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. sleng@jhmi.edu
Xue
Qian-Li
QL
Tian
Jing
J
Walston
Jeremy D
JD
Fried
Linda P
LP
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D015431:Weight Loss
D015850:Interleukin-6