05 September 2025 : Clinical Research
Frailty and Cognitive Decline in Hospitalized Elderly Patients: Associations with Clinical and Laboratory Parameters
Elżbieta Kozak-Szkopek
ABCDEF 1,2, Katarzyna Wdowiak ADF 3, Anna M. Imiela AB 2, Aisha Ou-Pokrzewińska AB 2, Zuzanna Strząska-Kliś B 1,4, Agata Andrzejczyk C 5, Łukasz Czyżewski CDE 1*
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.947354
Med Sci Monit 2025; 31:e947354
Table 3 Comparative analysis of clinical parameters by CFS scale scores.
| CFS | 1 (1–3 grade) | 2 (4 grade) | 3 (5 grade) | 4 (6 grade) | 5 (7 grade) | 6 (8–9 grade) | All | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 36 | 57 | 64 | 59 | 29 | 20 | 265 | |
| Age,y | 76 (72–79) | 78 (74–84) | 81 (75–87) | 86 (80–89) | 88 (82–91) | 87 (84–94) | 82 (75–88) | <0.001 |
| Sex, m, n (%) | 17 (47) | 22 (39) | 26 (41) | 21 (36) | 11 (38) | 5 (25) | 102 (39) | 0.695 |
| Eyeglasses, n (%) | 30 (83) | 49 (86) | 50 (78) | 50 (85) | 19 (68) | 12 (60) | 210 (80) | 0.079 |
| Hearing aid, n (%) | 3 (8) | 10 (18) | 8 (13) | 17 (29) | 11 (39) | 5 (25) | 54 (21) | 0.011 |
| Bone fractures, n (%) | 8 (22) | 19 (33) | 24 (38) | 21 (36) | 9 (32) | 8 (40) | 89 (34) | 0.678 |
| Pressure ulcers, n (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 2 (3) | 1 (2) | 6 (22) | 5 (25) | 14 (5) | <0.001 |
| Living alone, n (%) | 10 (28) | 29 51) | 31 (49) | 31 (53) | 9 (31) | 7 (35) | 117 (44) | 0.094 |
| Walking, n (%) | ||||||||
| Unaided | 33 (92) | 44 (77) | 36 (56) | 24 (41) | 2 (7) | 2 (10) | 141 (53) | <0.001 |
| With cane/walking frame | 3 (8) | 15 (26) | 29 (45) | 31 (53) | 7 (24) | 5 (25) | 90 (34) | <0.001 |
| Bed-bound, n (%) | 0 (0) | 0(0) | 1 (2) | 4 (7) | 21 (72) | 13 (65) | 39 (15) | <0.001 |
| Incontinence briefs, n (%) | 8 (22) | 22 (39) | 28 (44) | 37 (63) | 29 (100) | 19 (95) | 143 (54) | <0.001 |
| Education level, y | 11 (9–16) | 11 (11–11) | 11 (9–16) | 11 (11–16) | 11 (11–16) | 11 (9–16) | 11 (10–16) | 0.833 |
| BMI, kg/m | 26 (23–28) | 27 (23–30) | 26 (22–29) | 24 (22–29) | 25 (24–28) | 23 (20–27) | 25 (23–29) | 0.468 |
| Arm circumference, cm | 24 (23–26) | 24 (24–26) | 24 (23–25) | 24 (23–25) | 24 (22–25) | 23 (21–24) | 24 (23–25) | 0.031 |
| Lower leg circumference, cm | 33 (32–35) | 32 (31–34) | 33 (31–34) | 32 (30–35) | 32 (31–34) | 32 (30–32) | 32 (31–34) | 0.029 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 90 (88–95) | 90 (90–95) | 90 (90–95) | 90 (86–95) | 90 (90–95) | 90 (83–90) | 90 (89–95) | 0.311 |
| Abbreviated Tinetti test | 10 (10–10) | 10 (10–10) | 7 (5–10) | 5 (5–5) | 0 (0–5) | 0 (0–0) | 6 (5–10) | <0.001 |
| Norton scale | 19 (18–19) | 18 (17–19) | 17 (16–18) | 15 (14–17) | 12 (10–13) | 9 (7–11) | 17 (14–18) | <0.001 |
| Barthel index | 95 (90–100) | 95 (90–95) | 85 (75–86) | 60 (55–75) | 20 (15–35) | 10 (0–35) | 80 (55–95) | <0.001 |
| ADL | 6 (6–6) | 6 (6–6) | 5 (4–6) | 4 (2–5) | 1 (1–1) | 1 (0–1) | 5 (3–6) | <0.001 |
| IADL | 6 (5–8) | 5 (4–6) | 3 (2–4) | 2 (1–3) | 1 (1–1) | 1 (0–1) | 3 (1–5) | <0.001 |
| GDS | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–5) | 3 (1–4) | 3 (2–4) | 2 (1–4) | 5 (2–6) | 2 (1–4) | 0.064 |
| MMSE | 28 (27–29) | 27 (25–28) | 25 (23–27) | 24 (21–27) | 20 (16–23) | 20 (16–23) | 19 (15–24) | <0.001 |
| Na, mmol/l. | 141 (139–142) | 141 (138–143) | 141 (138–142) | 141 (139–144) | 142 (139–145) | 141 (137–143.5) | 141 (138–143) | 0.308 |
| Albumin, g/dL | 3.9 (3.6–4.3) | 3.7 (3.3–4) | 3.5 (3.3–3.5) | 3.3 (3–3.6) | 3.2 (2.9–3.6) | 2.75 (2.2–3.4) | 3.4 (3.1–3.9) | <0.001 |
| Hemoglobin, g/dL | 12.7 (12–14) | 12 (11–13) | 12 (10–13) | 11.3 (10–13) | 11 (10–12) | 11.7 (10–12) | 12 (10–13) | 0.002 |
| Lymphocytes, K/μL | 1.3 (1.1–1.9) | 1.3 (0.9–1.8) | 1.3 (0.9–2.0) | 1.2 (0.9–2.0) | 1.1 (0.8–1.7) | 0.9 (0.8–1.5) | 1.3 (0.9–1.9) | 0.284 |
| TSH, μIU/ml | 1.5 (1.0–2.5) | 1.3 (0.7–2.3) | 1.7 (0.5–3.2) | 1.9 (0.9–3.0) | 1.0 (0.6–1.9) | 1.6(0.8–2.5) | 1.5 (0.7–2.6) | 0.486 |
| VES–13 | 4 (3–4) | 6 (4–7) | 8 (7–10) | 9 (8–10) | 10 (8–10) | 10 (8–10) | 8 (6–10) | <0.001 |