The Frequency of Frailty in Ambulatory Patients With Chronic Lung Diseases.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of frailty in patients with chronic lung diseases.


METHODS
We studied 120 patients with chronic lung disease using Fried's criteria (gait speed, weight loss, exhaustion, grip strength, and physical activity).


RESULTS
The study population (56% women) had a mean age of 64 ± 13 years, mean body mass index of 31± 9 kg/m(2), and a mean FEV(1) (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) of 60% ± 25% of predicted. The average gait speed was 52.1 ± 14.3 m/min; 18% were frail, 64% prefrail, and 18% robust. Gait speed correlated with frailty status and decreased as frailty worsened (57 m/min in robust subjects and 41 m/min in frail subjects). Slow gait speeds (<60 m/min) had a 95% sensitivity and 34% specificity to predict frailty.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with chronic lung disease frequently meet Fried's criteria for frailty. Gait speed can be used to screen these patients to determine if a more detailed evaluation is needed.
Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.
Neha
N
Mittal
Northwestern University, Chicago IL, USA.
Rishi
R
Raj
Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.
Ebtesam Attaya
EA
Islam
Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Lubbock, TX, USA kenneth.nugent@ttuhsc.edu.
Kenneth
K
Nugent
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000502:physiology; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); frailty; gait speed; lung disease