title: Micronucleus frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes and frailty status in elderly. A lack of association with clinical features.
abstract: Frailty is a condition of vulnerability that carries an increased risk of poor outcome in elder adults. Frail individuals show fatigue, weight loss, muscle weakness, and a reduced physical function, and are known to frequently experience disability, social isolation, and institutionalization. Identifying frail people is a critical step for geriatricians to provide timely geriatric care and, eventually, to improve the quality of life in elderly. The aim of the present study is to investigate the association between frailty status and micronucleus (MN) frequency, a known marker of genomic instability, in a sample of elder adults. Several clinical features were evaluated and their possible association with MN frequency was tested. Criteria proposed by Fried were used to identify frail subjects. Overall, 180 elder adults entered the study, 93 of them (51.7%) frail. No association between MN frequency and frailty status was found under the specific conditions tested in this study (mean ratio=1.06; 95% CI 0.96-1.18). The inclusion of MN frequency in the Fried's frailty scale minimally improved the classification of study subjects according to the multidimensional prognostic index (MPI). The presence of genomic instability in the ageing process and in most chronic diseases, demands further investigation on this issue.
authors: Area of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy.
authors: Vanessa
authors: V
authors: Valdiglesias
authors: Area of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: stefano.bonassi@sanraffaele.it.
authors: Stefano
authors: S
authors: Bonassi
authors: Area of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy.
authors: Valentina
authors: V
authors: Dell'Armi
authors: Department of Geriatrics Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Teaching Hospital "Agostino Gemelli", Catholic University of the Sacred Heart School of Medicine, Rome, Italy.
authors: Silvana
authors: S
authors: Settanni
authors: Department of Geriatrics Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Teaching Hospital "Agostino Gemelli", Catholic University of the Sacred Heart School of Medicine, Rome, Italy.
authors: Michela
authors: M
authors: Celi
authors: Department of Geriatrics Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Teaching Hospital "Agostino Gemelli", Catholic University of the Sacred Heart School of Medicine, Rome, Italy.
authors: Simona
authors: S
authors: Mastropaolo
authors: Department of Geriatrics Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Teaching Hospital "Agostino Gemelli", Catholic University of the Sacred Heart School of Medicine, Rome, Italy.
authors: Manuela
authors: M
authors: Antocicco
authors: Scientific Direction, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy.
authors: Massimo
authors: M
authors: Fini
authors: Department of Geriatrics Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Teaching Hospital "Agostino Gemelli", Catholic University of the Sacred Heart School of Medicine, Rome, Italy.
authors: Graziano
authors: G
authors: Onder
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D048629:Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: Elderly; Frailty; Genomic instability; Micronucleus assay