What is the relationship between frailty and orthostatic hypotension in older adults?

Abstract

Background Frailty and orthostatic hypotension (OH), which is common in older adults, is associated with morbidity and mortality. The relationship between them remains unclear. The aim of the study is to determine whether there is a relationship between frailty and OH. Methods A total of 496 patients who were admitted to the geriatric clinic and underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment were retrospectively reviewed. In a cross-sectional and observational study, OH was measured by the Head-up Tilt Table test at 1, 3, and 5 min (respectively, OH1, OH3, and OH5) and the frailty was measured by the Fried’s frailty scale. Results The mean age of all patients was 75.4 ± 7.38. The prevalence of females was 69.8%. When the frail people were compared with the pre-frail and the robust ones, the frailty was associated with OH1. There was no relationship between the groups in terms of OH1 when the pre-frail group was compared with the robust group. OH3 were higher in the frail group than in the pre-frail group (P < 0.05) and the OH5 were higher in the frail group than in the pre-frail and robust group (P < 0.05), but OH3 and OH5 were not associated with frailty status when they were adjusted for age (P > 0.05). Slowness and weakness were associated with OH1 (P < 0.05), whereas the other components of the Fried’s test were not. Conclusions Frailty may be a risk factor for OH1. The 1st min measurements of OH should be routinely evaluated in frail older adults to prevent OH-related poor outcomes.