title: Frailty and quality of life for people with Alzheimer's dementia and mild cognitive impairment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our aim was to investigate the relationship between frailty and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in cognitively impaired elderly individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional observational study of a convenience sample of 115 patients with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's dementia or mild cognitive impairment. Frailty was measured using the biological syndrome model and HR-QOL was measured using the DEMQOL-Proxy. Regression models were constructed to establish the factors associated with HR-QOL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Frailty and neuropsychiatric symptoms were associated with HR-QOL, with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores ≥21 (P = .037, P ≤ .001, and R (2) = .362). Functional limitation was associated with HR-QOL, with MMSE scores ≤20 (P = .017 and R (2) = .377).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Frailty and neuropsychiatric symptoms were the determinants of HR-QOL in the earlier stages of cognitive impairment. Functional limitation predicted HR-QOL in the later stages of cognitive impairment. Frailty may represent a novel modifiable target in early dementia to improve HR-QOL for patients.
authors.affiliation: Mercer's Institute for Research on Ageing, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. ainemullen@gmail.com
authors.forename: Aine M Ní
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mhaoláin
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Crosby
authors.forename: Deirdre
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Loretto
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lacey
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Coen
authors.forename: Davis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Coakley
authors.forename: J Bernard
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: Conal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lawlor
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index