Background and aims

Our goals were to study frailty screening in association with hospitalization and decline in quality of life [QoL] and functional status in older patients with inflammatory bowel diseases [IBD].

Methods

This was a prospective multicentre cohort study in IBD patients ≥65 years old using frailty screening [G8 Questionnaire]. Outcomes were all-cause, acute, and IBD-related hospitalization, any infection, any malignancy, QoL [EQ5D-3L], and functional decline (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living [IADL]) during 18 months of follow-up. Confounders were age, IBD type, biochemical disease activity [C-reactive protein ≥10 mg/L and/or faecal calprotectin ≥250 µg/g], and comorbidity [Charlson Comorbidity Index].

Results

Of 405 patients, with a median age of 70 years, 196 [48%] were screened as being at risk for frailty. All-cause hospitalizations occurred 136 times in 96 patients [23.7%], and acute hospitalizations 103 times in 74 patients [18.3%]. Risk of frailty was not associated with all-cause (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.9-2.4), but was associated with acute hospitalizations [aHR 2.2, 95% CI 1.3-3.8]. Infections occurred in 86 patients [21.2%] and these were not associated with frailty. A decline in QoL was experienced by 108 [30.6%] patients, and a decline in functional status by 46 patients [13.3%]. Frailty screening was associated with a decline in QoL (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.1, 95% CI 1.3-3.6) and functional status [aOR 3.7, 95% CI 1.7-8.1].

Conclusions

Frailty screening is associated with worse health outcomes in older patients with IBD. Further studies are needed to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of its implementation in routine care.

© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation.