Preserved ratio impaired spirometry and COPD associated with accelerated frailty progression

Frailty, characterized by the functional declines across multiple physiologic systems and increased vulnerability to stressors, is becoming an emerging health burden worldwide.

An Original Research entitled “Preserved ratio impaired spirometry and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease accelerate frailty progression: evidence from a prospective cohort study” by Di He BS et al. and colleagues have found the association between preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with accelerated frailty progression.

Explaining the study background, the researcher said COPD is associated with frailty, for associations of COPD with frailty progression. Recent studies have revealed a new phenotype of lung function impairment; PRISm. There needs to be more data and clarity on associations of PRISm and its transitions with frailty progression.

Considering this background, researchers analyze the association in 5,901 subjects from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. These subjects were classified into three lung function patterns: normal spirometry, PRISm, and COPD. Frailty progression was assessed by repeated measurements of the frailty index (FI) during follow-up.

The key results of the study are:

· The follow-up period was 9.5 years and 5.8 years for the analyses of PRISm and COPD with frailty progression and PRISm transitions with frailty progression, respectively.

· Those with PRISm and COPD had accelerated FI progression with additional annual increases of 0.301 and 0.172, respectively.

· Those who transitioned from normal spirometry to PRISm had accelerated FI progression compared to stable normal spirometry.

· They found no accelerated FI progression in PRISm subjects who transitioned to normal spirometry.

They said, “In our study, we found that PRISm and COPD are associated with accelerated frailty progression.”Our findings indicate that PRISm findings and COPD are associated with accelerated frailty progression. Further studies are needed to elucidate the causality of the association of PRISm findings and COPD with frailty.

Further studies are warranted to elucidate the causality of PRISm and COPD with frailty.

Further reading:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012369223010553