High prevalence of frailty in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms

• Published in: Geriatrics & gerontology international Vol. 23; no. 8; pp. 609 - 615
• Main Authors: Irie, Naohiro, Muramoto, Nobuhito, Shirakawa, Tomoya, China, Toshiyuki, Kawano, Haruna, Isotani, Shuji, Horie, Shigeo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kyoto, Japan John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 01-08-2023; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Comorbidity; Frailty; Kihon checklist; low urinary tract symptoms; older adults; Urogenital system; urological diseases; older adults; frailty; urological diseases; low urinary tract symptoms; Kihon checklist
• ISSN: 1444-1586; 1447-0594
• DOI: 10.1111/ggi.14633

Aim
Older adults are more likely to be frail and have a high prevalence of urological diseases such as lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The purpose of this study was to clarify the prevalence and characteristics of comorbid frailty in older patients with urological diseases.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 970 patient who visited the Department of Urology, Juntendo University Hospital between October 2015 and October 2016. Patients were selected who were 65 years of age or older and were being evaluated by the Kihon Checklist (KCL) to assess frailty. We examined the prevalence of comorbid frailty in urological diseases, identified factors associated with comorbid frailty in urological diseases, and examined KCL scores in urological diseases with a high prevalence of frailty.
Results
A total of 405 participants were included. Of these, 21.7% were frail, 20.5% were pre‐frail, and 57.8% were robust. LUTS, overactive bladder, and neurogenic bladder showed a statistically significant relationship with comorbid frailty, with high frailty prevalence rates of 44/140 (31.4%), 19/36 (52.8%), and 4/6 (66.7%), respectively. Factors related to the comorbid frailty according to multivariate analysis were female sex (P = 0.001), older age (P < 0.001), and LUTS (P < 0.033). Of the KCL subscale scores, instrumental activities of daily living (P = 0.008), physical function (P < 0.001), oral function (P = 0.008), housebound (P = 0.009), and depression (P = 0.034) were higher in LUTS patients than in non‐LUTS patients.
Conclusions
Among patients with urological diseases, those with LUTS were found to have a high prevalence of frailty. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 609–615.
The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of comorbid frailty in older patients with urological disease. The study was cross‐sectional and considered older patients who visited the Department of Urology, Juntendo University Hospital. It found that the prevalence of frailty in all patients was 21.7%, and the prevalence of frailty in patients with diseases associated with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) was 31.4%. Among patients with urological disease, those with LUTS‐related disease were found to have a higher prevalence of frailty.