Frailty syndrome and risk of cardiovascular disease: Analysis from the International Mobility in Aging Study

To investigate the association between frailty and a summary cardiovascular risk measure (Framingham Risk Score, FRS) in a sample of older adults from different epidemiologic contexts participating in the multicenter International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS). This cross-sectional study used data from the IMIAS, which is composed of older adults from four different countries (Canada, Albania, Colombia and Brazil). A total of 1724 older adults aged 65–74 years were assessed. Frailty was defined as the presence of 3 or more of the following criteria: unintentional weight loss in the last year, exhaustion, muscle weakness, slowness in gait speed, and low levels of physical activity. The FRS was calculated to estimate the 10-year risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), based on: sex, age, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and treatment for hypertension, total and high–density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, diabetes mellitus status and smoking habits. Confounders included measures of childhood social and economic adversity, as well as mid-life and adult adversity. After adjustment for adversities which occurred during in early, adult or current life, frail individuals presented higher FRS values (β = 3.81, 95 %CI: 0.97–6.65, p-value <0.001) when compared to robust participants. A statistically significant relationship was also observed in prefrail participants with FRS (β = 1.61, 95 % CI: 0.72–3.02, p-value <0.05). Frailty and prefrailty were associated to FRS, independent of life course adversities. Screening cardiovascular risk factors should be a target, mainly in those who present frailty syndrome.