Frailty common in patients with vasculitis

Frailty appears to be a familiar feature among patients with multiple forms of vasculitis, suggesting a substantial subset of patients at risk for worse outcomes, suggests a study.

A total of 328 patients (mean age 59.5 years, 71.6 percent female) participated in the baseline survey. Of these, 42.1 percent self-reported prefrailty, while 21.6 percent had frailty. Most patients with each form of vasculitis were classified as frail or prefrail.

Patients with frailty or prefrailty reported worse Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scores at baseline and follow-up. Female sex, higher patient global assessment (PtGA) scores, being overweight, and obesity were independently associated with frailty, but not age.

In the follow-up survey at 1 year, 272 (82.9 percent) patients responded. Ninety-nine (36.4 percent) participants had transitions in frailty status. Furthermore, those with frailty were more likely to experience hospitalizations and flares.

This longitudinal study used the Vasculitis Patient-Powered Research Network, an internet-based cohort of patients with vasculitis. Researchers collected data, including PtGA and several domains of the PROMIS. They measured frailty at baseline and 1-year follow-up using the FRAIL scale, a 5-domain self-reported measure. Patients were then classified as nonfrail, prefrail, and frail.

At 1 year, patients reported the occurrence of hospitalizations, infections, fractures, and disease flares. Factors associated with frailty were identified by performing a multivariable logistic regression.