Intrinsic capacity and stroke risk in a multiple cohort study.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Neurology

Background:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) established the concept of intrinsic capacity to assess physical and mental abilities across five key domains: cognition, psychological, sensory, vitality, and locomotor.
• The focus is shifting from disease-centered to function-centered approaches for predicting healthy aging, disability, and frailty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between intrinsic capacity and the incidence of stroke.
• To explore the predictive value of intrinsic capacity for stroke risk in a large-scale cohort.

Main Methods:

• A large-scale cohort study including 184,219 participants aged 40 years and older.
• Assessment of intrinsic capacity across five domains using the WHO Integrated Care for Older People framework.
• Cox proportional hazards regression models were employed to analyze the association with incident stroke, with stratified and sensitivity analyses conducted.

Main Results:

• Both overall intrinsic capacity and its individual domains were significantly associated with stroke incidence.
• The strongest association between intrinsic capacity and stroke incidence was observed in adults aged 80 years or older.
• All five domains of intrinsic capacity demonstrated a significant link to stroke risk.

Conclusions:

• Intrinsic capacity is a significant predictor of stroke incidence.
• The findings suggest intrinsic capacity is a promising multidimensional target for primary stroke prevention strategies.
• Interventions aimed at improving intrinsic capacity may play a crucial role in reducing stroke occurrence in an aging population.