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Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Background/aim: Heart failure (HF) in older adults is frequently accompanied by geriatric syndromes that remain unrecognized in conventional cardiac evaluations. The vulnerabilities of older adults with and without HF in terms of muscle strength, physical performance, functional capacity, frailty, nutritional status, cognition, mood, anxiety, polypharmacy, and comorbidity were investigated using comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA).

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two academic outpatient clinics, enrolling 420 adults aged ≥60 years, including 92 (21.9%) with HF. Data included sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, and CGA parameters: handgrip strength, the Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Test (FTSST), the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADL (IADL), the FRAIL scale, the Mini Nutritional Assessment–Short Form, the Mini-Cog, the Geriatric Depression Scale–Short Form, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed.

Results: HF participants had slower FTSST (12.7 s versus 11.7 s; p = 0.002), and lower SPPB scores (10.0 versus 11.0; p = 0.016). IADL scores were significantly lower in the HF group (median, 7.0 versus 8.0; p < 0.001), indicating a higher prevalence of IADL impairment. Frailty (31.5% versus 18.9%; p = 0.009), malnutrition (6.5% versus 2.1%; p = 0.043), cognitive impairment (29.3% versus 14.3%; p = 0.001), and polypharmacy (88.0% versus 57.9%; p < 0.001) were significantly more prevalent in the HF group. Low lower extremity muscle strength (OR = 3.713), impaired IADL (OR = 4.974), and higher comorbidity burden (OR = 1.603) were identified as independent factors associated with HF in multivariate analysis.

Conclusion: Older adults with HF showed substantial deficits across multiple CGA domains, including functional capacity, frailty, nutrition, and cognition. Integration of CGA into HF management may facilitate the identification of previously unrecognized vulnerabilities and support multidisciplinary care planning.

Author ORCID Identifier

CİHAN KILIÇ: 0000-0002-1246-3622

RENGİN DEMİR: 0000-0002-2901-2967

ÖZLEM YILMAZ AYKENT: 0000-0001-9868-2828

ZERRİN YİĞİT: 0000-0002-8368-7906

PINAR KÜÇÜKDAĞLI: 0000-0002-3632-8281

BANU ÖZULU TÜRKMEN: 0000-0003-3492-874X

GÜLİSTAN BAHAT: 0000-0001-5343-9795

MEHMET KARAN: 0000-0002-9080-404X

DOI

10.55730/1300-0144.6202

Keywords

comprehensive geriatric assessment, frailty, functional capacity, geriatric syndromes, Heart failure, older adults

First Page

687

Last Page

697

Publisher

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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