Association between frailty and carotid central structure changes: the Three-City Study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Vascular Biology
• Public Health

Background:

• Frailty is a significant geriatric syndrome associated with adverse health outcomes.
• Carotid artery structure changes, such as increased intima-media thickness and diameter, are markers of vascular aging and damage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between carotid central structure changes and frailty in community-dwelling older adults.
• To determine if carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and carotid diameter are independently associated with frailty.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of 4,257 community-dwelling individuals aged 65-95 from the Three-City Study.
• Frailty assessed using Fried's criteria. Carotid IMT, diameter, and plaque presence measured via Doppler ultrasonography.
• Multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic, cardiovascular, and dementia risk factors.

Main Results:

• 6.8% of participants were classified as frail.
• Increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was independently associated with frailty (OR=1.15 per SD increase, P=.04).
• Increased common carotid artery diameter was also independently associated with frailty (OR=1.23 per SD increase, P=.006).

Conclusions:

• Carotid structure alterations are associated with frailty in older adults.
• These findings suggest that vascular damage may be a contributing factor to frailty.
• Understanding this link may help explain adverse health outcomes observed in frail elderly individuals.