Keywords
Cross infection
Biomarkers
How to Cite
Copyright © | All rights reserved.
The journal holds the exclusive copyright for the publication of this article under the terms of Brazilian law 9610/98.
Partial reproduction
The use of parts of the texts, figures and questionnaire of the article is free, being mandatory the citation of the authors and journal.
Total reproduction
It is expressly prohibited and must be authorized by the journal.
Abstract
Objective: To analyze the impact of frailty syndrome on the hospital outcomes of elderly patients diagnosed with hospital-acquired infections through clinical and laboratory evaluation. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted with individuals aged 65 years or older diagnosed with hospital-acquired infections. The degree of frailty was assessed using the Clinical Frailty Scale. Sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory data were compared between frail and non-frail elderly patients. Results: The study included 32 individuals with a median age of 75.5 years and a male predominance; the prevalence of frailty was 68.8%. No statistical differences were found between groups regarding sociodemographic factors, comorbidities, or polypharmacy. The mean hemoglobin concentration was approximately 9 g/dL. Leukocyte levels and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio did not differ between groups. Serum C-reactive protein concentrations showed high medians, and albumin levels were decreased, although without significant differences. Conclusion: A high prevalence of frailty syndrome was observed in elderly patients diagnosed with hospital-acquired infections. The small sample size limited the detection of associations between clinical and laboratory variables and hospital outcomes. Further studies are required to corroborate the relevance of screening for this condition to reduce complications associated with this state of vulnerability.
References
BOZKURT ME, et al. Frailty and its associates in community-dwelling older adults. Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira, 2023;69(12):e20230232.
CHENG Z, et al. C-reactive protein and white blood cell are associated with frailty progression: a longitudinal study. Immunity & ageing : I & A, 2022; 19(1):21.
CICERI ACM, et al. Hematological ratios and cytokine profiles in heterozygous beta-thalassemia. Hematology, transfusion and cell therapy, 2025; 47(3):103845
COSENTINO CB, et al. The utility of frailty indices in predicting the risk of healthcare associated infections: a systematic review. American journal of infection control, 2020; 48(12):1478–88.
FABRÍCIO DM, et al. Prevalence of frailty syndrome in Brazil: a systematic review. Cadernos Saúde Coletiva, 2022; 30(4):615–37.
FARÍAS-ANTÚNEZ S, FASSA AG. Prevalência e fatores associados à fragilidade em população idosa do Sul do Brasil, 2014. Epidemiologia E Serviços De Saúde, 2019; 28(1):e2017405.
FILHO JM, et al. Frailty prevalence and related factors in older adults from southern Brazil: A cross-sectional observational study. Clinics, 2020; 75:e1694.
FRIED LP, et al. The physical frailty syndrome as a transition from homeostatic symphony to cacophony. Nature Aging [Internet], 2021.1;1(1):36–46.
FROST SA, et al. Most Hospital-Acquired Complications among Older Adults Are Associated with Frailty: The South-Western Sydney Frailty and Hospital-Acquired Complications Study. The Journal of frailty & aging, 2024; 13(2):18.
HAN SJ, et al. Clinical Frailty Scale, K-FRAIL questionnaire, and clinical outcomes in an acute hospitalist unit in Korea. The Korean journal of internal medicine, 2021; 36(5):1190–1200.
KANE AE, HOWLETT SE. Sex differences in frailty: Comparisons between humans and preclinical models. Mechanisms of ageing and development, 2021; 198:111546.
LUJIC S, et al. Interaction effects of multimorbidity and frailty on adverse health outcomes in elderly hospitalised patients. Scientific reports, 2022; 12(1):14120.
MAILLIEZ A, et al. Development and validation of a biological frailty score based on CRP, haemoglobin, albumin and vitamin D within an electronic health record database in France: a cross-sectional study. BMJ public health, 2025; 3(1):e001941.
MAKOVSKI TT, et al. Multimorbidity and frailty are associated with poorer SARS-CoV-2-related outcomes: systematic review of population-based studies. Aging clinical and experimental research, 2024; 36(1):17.
MELO RC, et al. Prevalence of Frailty in Brazilian Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 2020; 24(7):708–16.
MORAMARCO S, et al. Epidemiology of hypoalbuminemia in hospitalized patients: a clinical matter or an emerging public health problem? Nutrients, 2020; 12(12):3656.
NICHOLSON K, et al. Prevalence of multimorbidity and polypharmacy among adults and older adults: a systematic review. The lancet. Healthy longevity, 2024; 5(4):e287-e296.
PARK CM, et al. Frailty and hospitalization-associated disability after pneumonia: A prospective cohort study. BMC geriatrics, 2021; 21(1):210.
RANDO E, et al. Gram-negative infections in frail patients. Le infezioni in medicina, 2023; 31(1):31–5.
SILVA SLA, et al. Diferenças entre homens e mulheres na prevalência da fragilidade e fatores associados entre adultos mais velhos: evidências do ELSI-Brasil. Cadernos De Saúde Pública, 2024; 40(3):ePT144923.
STEINMEYER Z, et al. Hemoglobin concentration; a pathway to frailty. BMC geriatrics, 2020; 20(1):210.
SUBRAMANIAM A, et al. Frailty and mortality associations in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Internal medicine journal, 2022; 52(5):724–39.
UMEGAKI H. Frailty, multimorbidity, and polypharmacy: Proposal of the new concept of the geriatric triangle. Geriatrics & gerontology international, 2025; 25(4):657–662.
VERONESE N, et al. Prevalence of multidimensional frailty and pre-frailty in older people in different settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ageing research reviews, 2021; 72:101498.
XU L, et al. Clinical Frailty Scale and Biomarkers for Assessing Frailty in Elder Inpatients in China. The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 2021; 25(1):77-83.
YU X, et al. Prevalence and associated factors of frailty among community dwelling older adults in Northwest China: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 2022; 12(8):e060089.
ZENG G, et al. Treatment of urinary tract infections in the old and fragile. World journal of urology, 2020; 38(3):2709–20.
ZHANG L, et al. Association between frailty and hypoproteinaemia in older patients: meta-analysis and systematic review. BMC geriatrics, 2024; 24(1):379.
ZHAO L, et al. The relationship between frailty and community-acquired pneumonia in older patients. Aging clinical and experimental research, 2022; 35(2):349–55.
ZHOU Q, et al. Prevalence of Frailty Among Chinese Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International journal of public health, 2023; 68:1605964.