Geriatric syndromes and intrinsic capacity in intestinal failure: A comparative analysis between young adults and...

Chronic intestinal failure (CIF) is characterized by loss of intestinal absorptive capacity and requires home parenteral nutrition (HPN). This condition significantly impacts homeostasis, quality of life, and patient survival and is associated with multiple physical, social, and psychological complications, including depression, social isolation, subjective memory complaints, sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease. Many of these conditions are closely linked to aging and the presence of geriatric syndromes, suggesting that patients with CIF may experience accelerated aging. This retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study compared the prevalence and characteristics of geriatric syndromes in young adults with CIF and individuals aged ≥65 years without CIF. A total of 30 participants were included, of whom 53.3% were older adults without CIF. Significant differences were observed in the prevalence of malnutrition (42.9% vs. 0%), cognitive impairment (92.9% vs. 56.3%), and multimorbidity (50% vs. 12.5%) in the CIF and without CIF groups, respectively. The prevalence of other geriatric syndromes and the total number of comorbidities were similar between the groups (10.5 (8.0-12.0) and 10.0 (6.75-13.0). The gap between chronological age and phenotypic age, estimated using PhenoAge, was greater in patients with CIF [10.5 (5.25-17.8) years] than in those without CIF [1.5 (-3.5-10.3) years]. Additionally, intrinsic capacity showed a higher number of impaired domains in the CIF group [4.0 (3.0-4.0) vs. 2.5 (1.75-3.0)]. These findings suggest a potentially accelerated aging process in young adults with CIF.