Association of physical performance tests with frailty indicators and oxidative stress markers in a sample of a community-dwelling elderly population

Aim: Frailty is a syndrome that commonly affects the elderly population and is characterized by physical, mental and metabolic decline, increasing the risk for disability and death. The aim of this study was to study the relationship amongst the performance in 6 min walk distance, 2-min step, sit-up, and up and go tests with frailty and its relationship with select, pre-identified factors in a community-dwelling elderly Mexican population. Methods: The study comprised 170 individuals between 65-90 y old from 5 community centres in Mexico City. Frailty was defined using the Fried Frailty Phenotype (FFP) criteria. A set of variables were used to explore associations between mobility and frailty, health conditions, and quality of life. Results: Mean age of participants was 72.6 ± 6.5 y, 82.3% of which were women. The prevalence of frailty was 25.9% (n=44). Frailty was more frequent in women, in persons aged 80 y and over as well as in those demonstrating low performance in the 2-min step, sit-up, and up and go tests. Lipoperoxidation measured as malondialdehyde (MDA) and carbonyl blood concentrations, as markers of oxidative stress, were significantly elevated in frail vs. non-frail subjects Conclusion: Frailty is a common pathology in a sample of the elderly community in Mexico. It is associated to low physical performance, quality of life, body composition and metabolic parameters and high oxidative stress.