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Appendicular Lean Mass and Frailty among Geriatric Outpatients

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Abstract

The objective of this observational study was to examine the association between appendicular lean mass and frailty in adults aged 60 years and older. This study was conducted in the Outpatient Department of the National Geriatric Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam. Appendicular lean mass (kg) was assessed by using Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scans. Frailty was defined according to Fried’s frailty criteria. A total of 560 outpatients were included in the study, with a mean age of 70 years. The prevalence of frailty was 12.0%. Frail patients had significantly lower appendicular lean mass compared with non-frail outpatients (9.6 ± 2.0 kg vs. 11.7 ± 3.1 kg, p<0.001). On multivariable logistic regression models, higher appendicular lean mass was associated with significantly reduced odds for frailty (adjusted OR = 0.74, 95%CI 0.59–0.93). These findings suggest that the assessment of appendicular lean mass should be considered in older patients attending outpatient geriatric clinics.

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Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to all participants who gave their time to participate in this study. We are grateful to Professor Vasi Naganathan and Dr Janani Thillainadesan, Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, Concord Hospital, Sydney, Australia for very valuable comments on this manuscript. We thank Mrs. Nguyen Lan Anh for the support with inputting of the data.

Funding

Funding: We are thankful to National Institute of Health (award number: 5D43TW011394-02) for financial support of publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geriatrics, Hanoi Medical University, 01 Ton That Tung, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Tam Ngoc Nguyen, Anh T. Nguyen, Huong T. T. Nguyen, Thu T. H. Nguyen, Thanh X. Nguyen & Huyen T. T. Vu

  2. National Geriatric Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Tam Ngoc Nguyen, Anh T. Nguyen, Huong T. T. Nguyen, Thu T. H. Nguyen, Thanh X. Nguyen & Huyen T. T. Vu

  3. Westmead Applied Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, the University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Tu N. Nguyen

  4. Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

    Hoa L. Nguyen & Robert J. Goldberg

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  1. Tam Ngoc Nguyen
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Correspondence to Tam Ngoc Nguyen.

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Nguyen, T.N., Nguyen, T.N., Nguyen, A.T. et al. Appendicular Lean Mass and Frailty among Geriatric Outpatients. J Frailty Aging 11, 177–181 (2022). https://doi.org/10.14283/jfa.2022.9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.14283/jfa.2022.9

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