PurposeExploring the domains and degrees of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) that are affected by the frailty of elders will help clinicians understand the impact of frailty. This association has not been investigated in community-dwelling elders. Therefore, we examined the domains and degree of HRQOL of elders with frailty in the community in Taiwan.MethodsA total of 933 subjects aged 65 years and over were recruited in 2009 from a metropolitan city in Taiwan. Using an adoption of the Fried criteria, frailty was defined by five components: shrinking, weakness, poor endurance and energy, slowness, and low physical activity level. HRQOL was assessed by the short form 36 (SF-36). The multiple linear regression model was used to test the independent effects of frailty on HRQOL.ResultsAfter multivariate adjustment, elders without frailty reported significantly better health than did the pre-frail and frail elders on all scales, and the pre-frail elders reported better health than did the frail elders for all scales except the scales of role limitation due to physical and emotional problems and the Mental Component Summary (MCS). The significantly negative differences between frail and robust elders ranged from 3.58 points for the MCS to 22.92 points for the physical functioning scale. The magnitude of the effects of frail components was largest for poor endurance and energy, and next was for slowness. The percentages of the variations of these 10 scales explained by all factors in the models ranged from 11.1% (scale of role limitation due to emotional problems) to 49.1% (scale of bodily pain).ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that the disabilities in physical health inherent in frailty are linked to a reduction in HRQOL. Such an association between clinical measures and a generic measure of the HRQOL may offer clinicians new information to understand frailty and to conceptualize it within the broader context of disability.

The incidence of dysphagia was relatively high in our study population. The long-term outcome was favorable.

Hip fracture, which is associated with substantial morbidity and long-term mortality, imposes a major burden on the healthcare system. Diabetes is a risk factor for osteoporosis, which is a crucial risk factor of hip fracture. However, epidemiological studies investigating the risk of hip fracture among patients with type 2 diabetes are limited. This study explored the association between hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and the risk of hip fracture in people with type 2 diabetes aged 65 years and older. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 20 025 older patients with type 2 diabetes who participated in the National Diabetes Case Management Program in Taiwan. The HbA1c level at the baseline and hip fracture incidence over an average of 7.41 years of follow-up were analyzed (maximum and standard deviation were 10.9 and 2.42 years, respectively). A total of 1514 hip fracture cases were recorded. The incidence rates of hip fracture were 9.15, 8.02, 9.58, 10.61, 12.51, and 13.43 per 1000 person-years in patients with baseline HbA1c levels of < 6%, 6-7%, 7%-8%, 8%-9%, 9%-10%, and ! 10%, respectively. After multivariate adjustment, the risk of hip fracture increased among patients with HbA1c levels of 9%-10% and ! 10.0% compared with patients with HbA1c levels of 6-7% (hazard ratio, 1.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.49 and 1.32; 1.09-1.58, respectively). Significant linear trends among various HbA1c levels were observed (P < 0.05). Patients with type 2 diabetes whose HbA1c levels exceeded 9.0% exhibited an increased risk of hip fracture, confirming a linear relationship. Our study's findings demonstrated the importance of glycemic control for fracture prevention in older adults with type 2 diabetes.