Screening of Diabetic Patients for Frailty with the Frail Scale: A Comparison with the Fried’s Phenotype Criteria in Saudi Arabia

Authors: Sadiq Ahmed Al-Ali*, Qasem Mohammed AlJabr, Zainab Tariq Alramadhan, Zainab Algharrash, Alhawraa Jassim Ahmad Alyousif, Aroob Nassir Alessa and Hassan Ali AlButayan

DOI: 10.23880/doij-16000244

Volume 6, Issue 3

Abstract

Background and Aims: Frailty is a serious health issue that is associated with the decline of muscle and nerve functions. Several conditions have been associated with frailty, such as dementia, cancer, and diabetes. The aim of the study is to evaluate the prevalence of frailty in Saudi diabetic patients and assess the association between diabetes and frailty. Also, to investigate if the FRAIL scale is an adequate tool to identify frail patients to pre-frail and healthy patients. Methods: Seventy-eight participants were divided into three categories; group-I, the control group, included 31 healthy men 65 to 75 years, group-II 25 patients with DM2 aged 50–64, and group-III included 22 patients with DM2 aged 65–80 years old. Frailty index using Fried’s criteria (CHS) and FRAIL scale was determined for all the participants. In ROC analysis, we evaluated diagnostic accuracy and AUC areas of the FRAIL scale compared with the CHS criteria. Results: Frail patients were more in Group II and III (diabetics) (44%, 55%) respectively than in Group-I (non-diabetics) 10%. People aged 63 years old or more are more likely to have frailty syndrome. Diabetic patients with FBG level ≥ 220 mg/dL, HbA1c level ≥ 9.5%, are more likely to be frail patients (P-values: 0.029, 0.002) respectively. Comparisons of the FRAIL scale to CHS components showed an independent diagnostic property. Conclusion: Frailty is a very serious condition, and it’s a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. FRAIL scale is a promising diagnostic tool, and more diagnostic studies are recommended.

Keywords: Frailty; Diabetic Patients; Saudi Arabia

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