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Identifying and Estimating Frailty Phenotypes by Vocal Biomarkers: Cross-Sectional Study
Yu-Chun Lin1,2, Huang-Ting Yan3, Chih-Hsueh Lin4,5
1Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Journal of Medical Internet Research
|November 8, 2024
Summary
Vocal biomarkers may help identify frailty phenotypes in older adults. Specific voice parameters (A1, A2) can indicate energy or muscle loss, while others (A3, A4) suggest complex frailty.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Acoustic analysis
- Biomarkers
Background:
- Frailty assessment indices exist, but frailty phenotypes are understudied in aging voice research.
- Recent studies suggest vocal characteristics can reflect an individual's frailty status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential frailty phenotypes in older adults.
- To determine the correlation between these frailty phenotypes and vocal biomarkers.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 277 participants aged ≥60 years from a geriatric outpatient clinic.
- Identified four frailty phenotypes: energy-based, sarcopenia-based, hybrid-energy, and hybrid-sarcopenia.
- Analyzed sustained vowel /a/ sounds using four acoustic parameters: average zero crossings (A1), peak/valley variations (A2), formant frequency variations (A3), and spectral energy ratio (A4).
Main Results:
- Increased A1 values correlated with a lower likelihood of energy-based frailty (OR 0.81).
- Increased A2 values correlated with a higher likelihood of sarcopenia-based frailty (OR 1.34).
- Higher A3 and A4 values were associated with hybrid frailty phenotypes (ORs 1.03 and 1.43, respectively).
Conclusions:
- Vocal biomarkers show potential for estimating frailty phenotypes in older adults.
- Acoustic parameters A1 and A2 can aid in diagnosing frailty related to energy or muscle function.
- Acoustic parameters A3 and A4 may indicate more complex frailty phenotypes.
