Abstract
Background and aims: The geriatric syndrome of frailty has been conceptualized as a loss of physiologic reserve associated with endocrine dysregulation and immune dysfunction. Our prior studies suggest that the frailty syndrome is associated with elevated serum IL-6 levels. In the present study, our aim is to evaluate the possible role of endocrine dysregulation and its relationship with serum IL-6 in the pathogenesis of this syndrome. Methods: Using a recently validated screening algorithm for frailty, we identified 18 frail and 33 non-frail community-dwelling older adults for inclusion in this study. Serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), DHEA-S, and IL-6 were measured by im-munoassays. The inter-relationships among serum levels of IL-6, DHEA-S, and IGF-I were determined by linear regression analysis. Results: Age-adjusted serum levels of IGF-I (88±49 vs 122±47 [ng/mL], p<0.023) and DHEA-S (0.30±0.21 vs 0.53±0.25 [ug/mL], p=0.016) were significantly lower in frail vs non-frail individuals, respectively. There was a trend for IL-6 to be inversely correlated with IGF-1 in the frail (r= −0.42; p=0.082) but not the non-frail group (r=0.12, p=0.521). Conclusions: Frail subjects have lower levels of serum IGF-I and DHEA-S and higher levels of IL-6 than do non-frail, age-matched individuals. The trend toward an inverse correlation between IGF-I and IL-6 in the frail, but not the non-frail group, suggests potential interaction between endocrine and immune/cytokine dysregulation that requires further study in larger cohorts.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Rockwood K, Stadnyk K, MacKnight C, McDowell I, Hebert R, Hogan DB. A brief clinical instrument to classify frailty in elderly people. Lancet 1999; 353: 205–6.
Fried LP, Walston J. Frailty and failure to thrive. In: Hazzard W, Ed. Principles of geriatric medicine and gerontology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998: 1387–402.
Fried LP, Tangen C, Walston J, et al. Frailty in older adults: Evidence for a phenotype. J Gerontol 2001; 56A: M1–11.
Hogan DB, MacKnight C, Bergman H, on behalf of the Steering Committee, Canadian Initiative on Frailty and Aging. Models, definitions, and criteria of frailty. Aging Clin Exp Res 2003; 15 (Suppl. to No. 3): 3–29.
Rockwood K, Hogan DB, MacKnight C. Conceptualisation and measurement of frailty in elderly people. Drugs Aging 2000; 17: 295–302.
Walston JD, Fried LP. Frailty and its implications for care. In: Morrison RS, Meire DE, Eds. Geriatric Palliative Care. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Rudman D. Growth hormone, body composition, and aging. J Am Geriatr Soc 1985; 33: 800–7.
Orentreich N, Brind JL, Rizer RL, Vogelman JH. Age changes and sex differences in serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate concentrations throughout adulthood. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1984; 59: 551–5.
Corpas E, Harman SM, Blackman MR. Human growth hormone and human aging. Endocr Rev 1993; 14: 20–39.
Kelijman M. Age-related alterations of the growth hormone/insulin-like-growth-factor I axis. J Am Geriatr Soc 1991; 39: 295307.
Rudman D, Kutner MH, Rogers CM, Lubin MF, Fleming GA, Bain RP. Impaired growth hormone secretion in the adult population: relation to age and adiposity. J Clin Invest 1981; 67: 1361–9.
Martin F. Frailty and the somatopause. Growth Horm IGF Res 1999; 9: 3–10.
Papadakis MA, Grady D, Tierney MJ, Black D, Wells L, Grunfeld C. Insulin-like growth factor 1 and functional status in healthy older men. J Am Geriatr Soc 1995; 43: 1350–5.
Papadakis MA, Grady D, Black D, et al. Growth hormone replacement in healthy older men improves body composition but not functional ability. Ann Intern Med 1996; 124: 708–16.
Sesmilo G, Biller BM, Llevadot J, et al. Effects of growth hormone administration on inflammatory and other cardiovascular risk markers in men with growth hormone deficiency. A randomized, controlled clinical trial. Ann Intern Med 2000; 133: 111–22.
Blackman MR, Sorkin JD, Munzer T, et al. Growth hormone and sex steroid administration in healthy aged women and men: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2002; 288: 2282–92.
Thompson JL, Butterfield GE, Marcus R, et al. The effects of re-combinant human insulin-like growth factor-I and growth hormone on body composition in elderly women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1995; 80: 1845–52.
Kiel DP, Puhl J, Rosen CJ, Berg K, Murphy JB, MacLean DB. Lack of an association between insulin-like growth factor-I and body composition, muscle strength, physical performance or self-reported mobility among older persons with functional limitations. J Am Geriatr Soc 1998; 46: 822–8.
Cappola AR, Bandeen-Roche K, Wand GS, Volpato S, Fried LP. Association of IGF-I levels with muscle strength and mobility in older women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001; 86: 4139–46.
De Benedetti F, Alonzi T, Moretta A, et al. Interleukin 6 causes growth impairment in transgenic mice through a decrease in insulin-like growth factor-I. A model for stunted growth in children with chronic inflammation. J Clin Invest 1997; 99: 643–50.
Matsumoto AM. Andropause: clinical implications of the decline in serum testosterone levels with aging in men. J Gerontol 2002; 57: M76–99.
Harman SM, Metter EJ, Tobin JD, Pearson J, Blackman MR. Longitudinal effects of aging on serum total and free testosterone levels in healthy men. Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001; 86: 724–31.
Allolio B, Arlt W. DHEA treatment: myth or reality? Trends Endocrinol Metab 2002; 13: 288–94.
Haden ST, Glowacki J, Hurwitz S, Rosen C, LeBoff MS. Effects of age on serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, IGF-I, and IL-6 levels in women. Calcif Tissue Int 2000; 66: 414–8.
De Benedetti F, Meazza C, Oliveri M, et al. Effect of IL-6 on IGF binding protein-3: a study in IL-6 transgenic mice and in patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Endocrinology 2001; 142: 4818–26.
Perneger TV. What’s wrong with Bonferroni adjustments. BMJ 1998; 316: 1236–8.
Sankoh AJ, Huque MF, Dubey SD. Some comments on frequently used multiple endpoint adjustment methods in clinical trials. Stat Med 1997; 16: 2529–42.
Karlamangla AS, Singer BH, McEwen BS, Rowe JW, Seeman TE. Allostatic load as a predictor of functional decline. MacArthur studies of successful aging. J Clin Epidemiol 2002; 55: 696–710.
Cohen HJ, Harris T, Pieper CF. Coagulation and activation of inflammatory pathways in the development of functional decline and mortality in the elderly. Am J Med 2003; 114: 180–7.
Walston J, McBurnie MA, Newman A, et al. Frailty and activation of the inflammation and coagulation systems with and without clinical morbidities: Results from the Cardiovascular Health Study. Arch Intern Med 2002; 162: 2333–41.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Leng, S.X., Cappola, A.R., Andersen, R.E. et al. Serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and their relationships with serum interleukin-6, in the geriatric syndrome of frailty. Aging Clin Exp Res 16, 153–157 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324545
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324545