Evaluation of Five Screening Tools in Detecting Physical Frailty in Cirrhosis and Their Prognostic Role

Background: Physical frailty (PF) is a syndrome of decreased physical function and reserves, preventing patients from coping with stressful events. PF screening tools in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) can help evaluate the risk of complications and death. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of five screening tools in detecting PF and their ability to predict 18-month mortality in LC. Methods: The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), Fried frailty phenotype (FFP), Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) were compared with the Liver Frailty Index (LFI) as the method of reference. Patients with an LFI ≥ 4.5, SPPB ≤ 8, FFP ≥ 3, CFS ≥ 6 points, and those walking <250 m, were considered frail. Results: A total of 109 consecutive patients with stable LC were included [63.3% male, median age 62 years, (IQR 52-70), MELD 9 (7-14.5), 46.8% with decompensated LC (DC)]. PF was present in 23.9%, 27.5%, 41.3%, 13.8%, and 28.4% as assessed by the LFI, SPPB, FFP, CFS, and 6MWT, respectively. Cohen's kappa measurement of agreement of four of the tools with LFI was 0.568, 0.334, 0.439, and 0.502, respectively (p < 0.001 for each). Kaplan-Meier survival curves at 18 months showed higher mortality in frail patients compared to non-frail patients by any method (log rank p < 0.05). In the multivariate models, PF defined by any method emerged as an independent prognostic factor of 18-month mortality after adjustment for age, gender, and MELD-score. Conclusions: Patients characterized as frail by five screening tools were not identical. However, PF defined by either method was proven to be an independent poor prognostic factor for long-term mortality after adjustment for covariates.