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. 2023 Jan 29;20(3):2421.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20032421.

Identifying the Biomarker Profile of Pre-Frail and Frail People: A Cross-Sectional Analysis from UK Biobank

Wenying Chu  1 , Nathan Lynskey  1 , James Iain-Ross  1 , Jill P Pell  2 , Naveed Sattar  1 , Frederick K Ho  2 , Paul Welsh  2 , Carlos Celis-Morales  2   3 , Fanny Petermann-Rocha  1   4
Affiliations

Identifying the Biomarker Profile of Pre-Frail and Frail People: A Cross-Sectional Analysis from UK Biobank

Wenying Chu et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to compare the biomarker profile of pre-frail and frail adults in the UK Biobank cohort by sex.

Methods: In total, 202,537 participants (67.8% women, aged 37 to 73 years) were included in this cross-sectional analysis. Further, 31 biomarkers were investigated in this study. Frailty was defined using a modified version of the Frailty Phenotype. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to explore the biomarker profile of pre-frail and frail individuals categorized by sex.

Results: Lower concentrations of apoA1, total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol, albumin, eGFRcys, vitamin D, total bilirubin, apoB, and testosterone (differences ranged from -0.30 to -0.02 per 1-SD change), as well as higher concentrations of triglycerides, GGT, cystatin C, CRP, ALP, and phosphate (differences ranged from 0.01 to 0.53 per 1-SD change), were identified both in pre-frail and frail men and women. However, some of the associations differed by sex. For instance, higher rheumatoid factor and urate concentrations were identified in pre-frail and frail women, while lower calcium, total protein, and IGF-1 concentrations were identified in pre-frail women and frail women and men. When the analyses were further adjusted for CRP, similar results were found.

Conclusions: Several biomarkers were linked to pre-frailty and frailty. Nonetheless, some of the associations differed by sex. Our findings contribute to a broader understanding of the pathophysiology of frailty as currently defined.

Keywords: UK Biobank; aging; biomarkers; frailty.

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Conflict of interest statement

No financial relationships with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years; no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Association between biomarkers and pre-frailty by sex. Data presented as β-coefficient and its 95% CI. Non-frail individuals were considered as the reference group in each case. All analyses were adjusted for age, deprivation, BMI, smoking status, sleeping time, total sedentary time, morbidity count, medication, and dietary intake (alcohol, red meat, processed meat, fruit and vegetable intake).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Association between biomarkers and frailty by sex. Data presented as β-coefficient and its 95% CI. Non-frail individuals were considered as the reference group in each case. All analyses were adjusted for age, deprivation, BMI, smoking status, sleeping time, total sedentary time, morbidity count, medication, and dietary intake (alcohol, red meat, processed meat, fruit and vegetable intake).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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