title: Subtypes of physical frailty: Latent class analysis and associations with clinical characteristics and outcomes.
abstract: Frailty is a well-recognized geriatric syndrome with various definitions and conceptual frameworks. This study aimed to use latent class analysis to discover potential subtypes of pre-frail and frail older people. Data from the I-Lan Longitudinal Aging Study (ILAS), a community-based cohort study was used for analysis. Latent class analysis was applied to characterize classes or subgroups with different frailty phenotypes among ILAS participants targeting older adults aged 65 and above, capable of completing a 6-meter walk, without severe major or life threatening diseases, and not institutionalized. Latent class analysis identified three distinct subgroups with different frailty phenotypes: non-mobility-type (weight loss and exhaustion), mobility-type frailty (slowness and weakness), and low physical activity. Comparing these groups with the robust group, people with mobility-type frailty had poorer body composition, worse bone health, poorer cognitive function, lower survival (hazard ratio: 6.82, p = 0.019), and poorer overall health outcomes (hazard ratio: 1.67, p = 0.040). People in the non-mobility-type group had poorer bone health and more metabolic serum abnormalities. In conclusion, mobility-type frailty was a better predictor of adverse outcomes. However, further investigation is needed to evaluate how these phenotypic subgroups may help in predicting prognosis or in developing interventions.
authors.affiliation: Aging and Health Research Center, National Yang Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong St., Taipei City 11221, Taiwan.|Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shi-Pai Rd., Taipei 11217, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Li-Kuo
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Aging and Health Research Center, National Yang Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong St., Taipei City 11221, Taiwan.|Institute of Public Health, National Yang Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong St., Taipei City 11221, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chao-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Aging and Health Research Center, National Yang Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong St., Taipei City 11221, Taiwan.|Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Yuanshan Branch, No. 386 Rongguang Rd., Yuanshan Township, Yilan County 264, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei-Ju
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Aging and Health Research Center, National Yang Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong St., Taipei City 11221, Taiwan.|Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shi-Pai Rd., Taipei 11217, Taiwan.|Institute of Public Health, National Yang Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong St., Taipei City 11221, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Liang-Yu
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Aging and Health Research Center, National Yang Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong St., Taipei City 11221, Taiwan.|Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shi-Pai Rd., Taipei 11217, Taiwan.|Institute of Public Health, National Yang Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong St., Taipei City 11221, Taiwan.
authors.forename: An-Chun
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Aging and Health Research Center, National Yang Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong St., Taipei City 11221, Taiwan.|Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shi-Pai Rd., Taipei 11217, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Hsien
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Aging and Health Research Center, National Yang Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong St., Taipei City 11221, Taiwan.|Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shi-Pai Rd., Taipei 11217, Taiwan.|Institute of Public Health, National Yang Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong St., Taipei City 11221, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Li-Ning
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Aging and Health Research Center, National Yang Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong St., Taipei City 11221, Taiwan.|Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shi-Pai Rd., Taipei 11217, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Liang-Kung
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Aging and Health Research Center, National Yang Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong St., Taipei City 11221, Taiwan.|Institute of Public Health, National Yang Ming University, No. 155, Sec. 2, Linong St., Taipei City 11221, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kung-Yee
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D000073496:Frailty / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D000077272:Latent Class Analysis; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis