Thyroid autoantibodies are associated with a reduced prevalence of frailty in community-dwelling older women.
BACKGROUND
The contribution of autoimmunity to the multisystem dysregulation that characterizes the frailty syndrome in older adults is unknown.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between thyroid antibodies and frailty in older women.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional study nested within the Women's Health and Aging Studies I and II. Thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAbs), thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAbs), and antinuclear antibodies were measured in the baseline sera of 641 community-dwelling older women.


METHODS
Frailty was defined using a validated five-component measure.


RESULTS
The prevalence of prefrailty and frailty was lower in TgAb-positive than negative older women (37.1 vs. 47.8% and 6.7 vs.11.9%, respectively; P = 0.01 and 0.03). The prevalence of prefrailty, but not frailty, was lower in TPOAb-positive than negative women (38.9 vs. 48.0% and 10.1 vs. 11.3%; P = 0.04 and 0.34). After adjustment for covariates including serum thyroid stimulation hormone concentration and thyroid medication usage in multinomial regression models, TgAb-positive older women had lower odds of prefrailty and frailty compared with TgAb-negative women (odds ratio 0.57 and 0.30; 95% confidence interval 0.34-0.98 and 0.10-0.85, respectively). Similarly, TPOAb-positive older women had lower odds of frailty compared with TPOAb-negative women (odds ratio 0.44; 95% confidence interval 0.20-0.96). These trends were not observed with antinuclear antibodies.


CONCLUSIONS
Independent of thyroid function status, community-dwelling older women who are seropositive for TgAbs and TPOAbs are less likely to be frail than seronegative women.
Wang
George C
GC
Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5505 Hopkins Bayview Circle, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA. gwang7@jhmi.edu
Talor
Monica V
MV
Rose
Noel R
NR
Cappola
Anne R
AR
Chiou
Roger B
RB
Weiss
Carlos
C
Walston
Jeremy D
JD
Fried
Linda P
LP
Caturegli
Patrizio
P
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000276:immunology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood
D001323:Autoantibodies; D015850:Interleukin-6; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013954:Thyroglobulin