Association of acute kidney injury with frailty in elderly population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim: The objective of this study was to assess whether an elderly patient’s frailty was associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) and to examine whether severe frailty group had an increased risk of AKI than mild–moderate group. Methods: We searched The Cochrane Library, PubMed, and EMBASE for relevant studies without language limitations before 1 March 2019 with a priori defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Five population-based cohort studies were included for systematic review and meta-analysis. Results: Compared with the control group, the frailty group is significantly associated AKI (Odds Ratio = 2.05; 95% CI: 1.23–3.43). The moderate-severe frailty group has an increased risk of AKI than mild frailty group (Hazard Ratio = 2.87; 95% CI: 1.60–5.17. Conclusion: In conclusion, the available best evidence support an association between frailty and AKI among elder patients, thus relevant interventions should be taken among elderly under potential risk of AKI.