title: Frailty Is Associated with Impaired Quality of Life and Falls in Middle-Aged and Older European Men.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Adapt a measure of frailty for use in a cohort study of European men and explore relationships with age, health related quality of life and falls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  8 European centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  3047 men aged 40-79 participating in the European Male Ageing Study (EMAS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Frailty was assessed using an adaptation of the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria. Health related quality of life was evaluated using the Rand Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire which comprises both mental and physical component scores. Self reported falls in the preceding 12 months were recorded at 2-year follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  78 men (2.6%) were classified as frail (≥3 criteria) and 821 (26.9%) as prefrail (1-2 criteria). The prevalence of frailty increased from 0.1% in men aged 40-49 up to 6.8% in men aged 70-79. Compared to robust men, both prefrail and frail men had lower health related quality of life. Frailty was more strongly associated with the physical than mental subscales of the SF-36. Frailty was associated with higher risk of falls OR (95% CI) 2.92 (1.52, 5.59).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Frailty, assessed by the EMAS criteria, increased in prevalence with age and was related to poorer health related quality of life and higher risk of falls in middle-aged and older European men. These criteria may help to identify a vulnerable subset of older men.
authors.affiliation: Prof. Frederick C.W. Wu, Email address: frederick.wu@manchester.ac.uk, Phone: +44 161 2766330. Fax: +44 161 2766363.
authors.forename: M D L
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tajar
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Pye
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Silman
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Finn
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bartfai
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boonen
authors.forename: F F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Casanueva
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Forti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giwercman
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: I T
authors.initials: IT
authors.lastname: Huhtaniemi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kula
authors.forename: M E J
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Lean
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pendleton
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Punab
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vanderschueren
authors.forename: F C W
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Wu