The Association of Physical Function Measures With Frailty, Falls History, and Metabolic Syndrome in a Population With Complex Obesity.
Amanda Rhynehart, Colin Dunlevy, Katie Hayes and 3 others
PMID 36188769WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with complex obesity showed physical function typical of people twenty years older.
Frailty was rare but linked to falls, while metabolic syndrome was common but not linked to frailty. Screening for falls risk and frailty should be routine in this group.
Key findings
01Patients with complex obesity had TUG and gait speed scores comparable to adults twenty years older than themselves.
02Frailty was identified in 3.4% of patients, and falls were significantly more common in this frail group compared to non-frail patients.
03Metabolic syndrome was present in 55.1% of patients but was not associated with frailty status.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was a retrospective audit, so it cannot establish causality between obesity, frailty, and falls. Frailty was assessed using a modified index (grip strength and gait speed only) rather than the full five-criterion Fried Frailty Index, which may have underestimated the prevalence of frailty, particularly in those whose primary deficit was exhaustion or weight loss. The cohort was drawn from a specialist weight management service, so findings may not generalise to people with obesity in primary care or the community. Physical activity levels were self-reported and may be subject to recall bias.
Declared interests
The authors declare no commercial or financial conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a patient's chronological age reflects their functional age. This study found that people in their mid-40s with complex obesity performed physical function tests at levels typical of people in their 60s. Conversely, do not assume that metabolic syndrome causes frailty; the two were not associated in this group, though both were linked to poorer physical function.