Frailty Resilience Score: A Novel Measure of Frailty Resilience Associated With Protection From Frailty and Survival

Frailty is characterized by increased vulnerability to disability and high risk for mortality in older adults. Identification of factors that contribute to frailty resilience is an important step in the development of effective therapies that protect against frailty. First, a reliable quantification of frailty resilience is needed. We developed a novel measure of frailty resilience, the Frailty Resilience Score (FRS), that integrates frailty genetic risk, age, and sex. Application of FRS to the LonGenity cohort (n = 467, mean age 74.4) demonstrated its validity compared to phenotypic frailty and its utility as a reliable predictor of overall survival. In a multivariable-adjusted analysis, 1-standard deviation increase in FRS predicted a 38% reduction in the hazard of mortality, independent of baseline frailty (p < .001). Additionally, FRS was used to identify a proteomic profile of frailty resilience. FRS was shown to be a reliable measure of frailty resilience that can be applied to biological studies of resilience.

Automated summary

Frailty in older adults is characterized by increased vulnerability to disability and high mortality risk. Identifying factors that contribute to frailty resilience is crucial for developing effective therapies. A novel measure of frailty resilience, the Frailty Resilience Score (FRS), was developed and shown to be a reliable predictor of overall survival. A 38% reduction in mortality risk was observed for every 1-standard deviation increase in FRS, independent of baseline frailty (p < .001). FRS was also used to identify a proteomic profile associated with frailty resilience.