Combined Inflammation and Metabolism Biomarker Indices of Robust and Impaired Physical Function in Older Adults

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether combinations of inflammatory markers are related to physical function. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: secondary analysis of baseline of three observational studies of community-dwelling older adults. MEASUREMENTS: The baseline data from 3 cohorts of older adults with different health and disease status were employed. Twenty markers of inflammation and metabolism were individually assessed for correlation with usual gait speed and were separated into robust and impairment quartiles. For the robustness and impairment indices, individual markers were selected using step-wise regression over bootstrapping iterations, and regression coefficients were estimated for the markers individually and collectively as an additive score. RESULTS: We developed a robustness index involving 6 markers and an impairment index involving 8 markers corresponding positively and negatively with gait speed. Two markers, glycine and tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1), appeared only in the robustness index, and TNFR2; regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted; the amino acid factor; and matrix metallopeptidase 3; appeared only in the impairment index. CONCLUSION: Indices of biomarkers were associated with robust and impaired physical performance but differ, in composition suggesting potential biological differences that may contribute to robustness and impairment. J Am Geriatr Soc 66:1353–1359, 2018.