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Background and Objectives: Motoric cognitive risk (MCR) syndrome is a type of pre-dementia. It is defined as the co-occurrence of subjective cognitive complaints and a slow gait speed. A recent study found that handgrip strength (HGS) asymmetry is associated with an increased risk of neurodegenerative disorders. We aimed to investigate the associations of HGS weakness and asymmetry separately and together with MCR incidence among older Chinese adults., Methods: Data from the 2011 and 2015 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were used. HGS values <28 kg for male participants and <18 kg for female participants were considered HGS weaknesses. HGS asymmetry was assessed by the ratio of nondominant to dominant HGS. We used 3 different cutoff values of HGS ratio to define asymmetry, including 10%, 20%, and 30%. Specifically, HGS ratios <0.90 or >1.10 (10%), <0.80 or >1.20 (20%), and <0.70 or >1.30 (30%) were classified as asymmetry. The participants were classified into 4 groups: neither weakness nor asymmetry (neither), asymmetry only, weakness only, and weakness and asymmetry (both). The association between baseline HGS status and 4-year incidence of MCR was examined using logistic regression analyses., Results: A total of 3,777 participants 60 years and older were included in the baseline analysis. The prevalence of MCR at the baseline was 12.8%. Participants with asymmetry only, weakness only, and both showed significantly increased risk of MCR. After excluding participants with MCR at baseline, 2,328 participants were included in the longitudinal analysis. There were 111 MCR cases (4.77%) over the 4-year follow-up period. Participants with HGS weakness and asymmetry together at baseline had increased odds of incident MCR (HGS ratio at 10%: odds ratio [OR] 4.48, p < 0.001; HGS ratio at 20%: OR 5.43, p < 0.001; HGS ratio at 30%: OR 6.02, p < 0.001)., Discussion: These results show that the presence of both HGS asymmetry and weakness is associated with MCR incidence. The early recognition of HGS asymmetry and weakness may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of cognitive dysfunction., (© 2023 American Academy of Neurology.)

Background: The trajectory of frailty and intrinsic capacity (IC) often overlap in older adults. Longitudinal analyses of transitions of frailty and IC, and their associations with incident functional decline are limited. The present study aimed to identify transitions of frailty status and IC, and explore associations between transitions of frailty and IC, and future disability among community-dwelling older adults., Methods: In the West China and Aging Trend Study, 808 participants aged ≥ 60 years completed baseline and three years follow-up (frailty, IC and disability assessments). Physical frailty was measured based on Fried phenotype. IC was evaluated by five domains (cognition, locomotion, sensory, psychological, and vitality). Disability was defined as a need for assistance in any items in activity of daily living (ADL) or the instrumental activity of daily living (IADL). Logistic regressions were performed to examine their relationships., Results: Four transitions of IC status (kept well: 27.4%, improved: 8.4%, worsened: 35.4%, and kept poor: 28.8%), and two transitions of frailty status (kept not-frail/improved: 93.2%, kept frail/worsened: 6.8%) were identified. Impaired locomotion and vitality at baseline were significantly associated with kept frail or worsened frail. However, impaired sensory and vitality at baseline not frailty status was significantly associated with transitions of IC. Adjusted for covariates and transitions of frailty, kept poor IC was associated with ADL (OR = 2.26, 95%CI = 1.17,4.34) and IADL disability (OR = 3.74, 95%CI = 1.79, 7.82)., Conclusions: Transitions of IC, but not frailty were associated with higher risk of incident disability. Baseline locomotion and vitality impairment were associated with worsened or kept frail. Our findings support the WHO's notion of monitoring and optimizing IC to delay deterioration of IC and preventing frailty and disability., Clinical Trial Number: ChiCTR1800018895., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: Uncertainties remain regarding the relationship between sarcopenic obesity and frailty. This study aimed to explore the association of these two common geriatric syndromes among community-dwelling older adults., Methods: Baseline data from the West China Health and Aging Trend (WCHAT) study was used. Sarcopenia was assessed based on the criteria established by the Asian working group for sarcopenia. Body fat percentages above the 60th percentile specified by sex were classified as obesity. Sarcopenic obesity was defined as the concurrence of obesity and sarcopenia. Frailty was assessed by Fried criteria. Multinomial logistic regression was adopted to explore associations of sarcopenic obesity with frailty., Results: Overall, 2372 older adults (mean age 67.6 ± 5.9) were involved in this study. The prevalence of frailty and sarcopenic obesity was 6.2 and 6.28%, respectively. After adjusting for covariates, sarcopenic obesity was significantly associated with prefrailty (OR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.15-2.64, P = 0.009) and frailty (OR = 4.42, 95% CI = 2.19-8.93, P < 0.001) compared to nonsarcopenia and nonobesity., Conclusions: Sarcopenic obesity was significantly correlated with prefrailty and frailty among older adults. Intervention for sarcopenic obesity may contribute to the prevention of incident frailty., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Physical symptoms and frailty are common in older adults. A previous study has reported that multiple somatic symptoms are associated with frailty. In this study, we aimed to describe the picture of physical symptoms in older adults in western China and examine the relationship of multiple physical symptoms and frailty, as well as the sex difference of this relationship., Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were based on the West China Health and Aging Trend (WCHAT) study comprising 4,106 community-dwelling older adults (60-95 years). Frailty was assessed using the physical frailty phenotype (PFP). Participants' experience of 28 different physical symptoms in the past 4 weeks was assessed. Physical symptoms were divided into several categories according to organ systems. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between frailty and multiple physical symptoms., Results: Nearly half of the subjects reported experiencing at least 1 physical symptom during the past 4 weeks. Musculoskeletal symptoms were the most prevalent symptoms. More than 5 physical symptoms were more likely to be frailty, even when all covariates were controlled. A significant association between multiple musculoskeletal symptoms and frailty also was found after adjusted for all covariates and multiple symptoms of other organ systems. Similar results were obtained for multiple cardiopulmonary symptoms. Furthermore, there were sex differences in these relationships., Conclusion: Multiple physical symptoms appear to have a detrimental impact on frailty in older adults. Compared with counting total symptoms, multiple symptoms of the same organ system may have a greater impact on frailty. Effective interventions and management of multiple physical symptoms are warranted to prevent frailty., (© 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Depression and anxiety are two common mental disorders in older people. Studies have reported that depression is strongly associate with frailty, but few studies focus on anxiety disorder and comorbid two mental disorders. In this study, we aimed to identify associations between comorbid depressive and anxiety symptoms with frailty in older adults., Methods: 4,103 community-dwellings adults aged 60 and older from the baseline of the West China Health and Aging Trend (WCHAT) study were included. Frailty was measured by the Fried frailty phenotype criteria. The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) and 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) assessed for depressive and anxiety symptoms with a cut-off value of 5. Multinomial logistic regression was used to explore the association between different depressive and anxiety status and frailty., Results: 8.7% of old adults suffered comorbid depressive and anxiety symptoms in the present study. The prevalence of pre-frailty and frailty was 47.0% and 6.7%, respectively. After adjusting for covariates, individuals with comorbid depressive and anxiety symptoms had higher odds of being pre-frail (OR=1.86, 95% CI=1.41, 2.45) and frail (OR=7.03, 95% CI=4.48, 11.05) compared to those without depressive and anxiety symptoms. In the comorbidity group, those with severe comorbid symptoms also had higher prevalence of pre-frailty and frailty., Limitations: Depressive and anxiety symptom assessments were based on screening tools., Conclusions: This study suggested comorbid depressive and anxiety symptoms were associated with frailty among Chinese older adults. Further efforts to screen and target depression and anxiety comorbidity may be warranted., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)