Biopsychosocial frailty and mild cognitive impairment subtypes: Findings from the Italian project on the epidemiology of Alzheimer's disease (IPREA)

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionFrailty is a critical intermediate status of the aging process including physical, cognitive, and psychosocial phenotypes. We operationalized a biopsychosocial frailty construct, estimating its association with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and its subtypes.MethodsIn 1980, older individuals from the population‐based Italian PRoject on the Epidemiology of Alzheimer's disease (IPREA), we investigated cross‐sectional associations among biopsychosocial frailty, MCI, and its subtypes.ResultsParticipants with biopsychosocial frailty showed an increased odds ratio (OR) of MCI [OR: 4.36; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.60‐7.29; Fisher's exact p < 0.01], particularly for nonamnestic MCI single domain (naMCI‐SD, OR:3.28; 95% CI: 1.35‐7.97; Fisher's exact p = 0.02) and for nonamnestic MCI multiple domain (naMCI‐MD, OR:6.92; 95% CI: 3.37‐14.21; Fisher's exact p < 0.01). No statistically significant associations between amnestic MCI single or multiple domain and biopsychosocial frailty were observed.DiscussionIn a large, older Italian cohort, a biopsychosocial frailty phenotype was associated with MCI, in particular, could be associated with some of its subtypes, that is, naMCI‐SD, and naMCI‐MD.