Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution Is Associated with the Frailty Status of Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in the Community

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the relationship between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution and frailty status in older adults. METHODS: A total of 3,586 participants, 65 years of age and older, with complete data were evaluated. All received a complete frailty assessment and completed a TCM geriatric constitution questionnaire. Baseline characteristics and demographic information were collected. The relationship between the TCM constitution and frailty was evaluated by binary regression analysis. The consistency of the result was tested by multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: The average prevalence of frailty among older adult participants was 12.5%. The three most prevalent biased constitutions in the frail older adult participants were phlegm dampness 140 (31.3%), Yin deficiency 77 (17.2%), and Yang deficiency 47 (10.5%). Univariate analysis showed that TCM constitution significantly correlated with frailty. After adjusting for potential confounders, binary logistic regression found a significant correlation between biased constitutions and frailty, including Qi stagnation (odds ratio (OR) = 3.51, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.94–6.36)), Qi deficiency ((OR = 3.23, (95% CI: 1.76–5.94)), Yang deficiency ((OR = 2.37, (95% CI: 1.50–3.74)), phlegm dampness ((OR = 1.75, (95% CI: 1.24–2.48)), and Yin deficiency ((OR = 1.70, (95% CI: 1.15–2.50)). Results of multiple linear regression were consistent. CONCLUSIONS: TCM constitution was significantly associated with frailty status in older adults, and the distribution was different. Compared with a neutral constitution, older adults with Qi stagnation, Qi deficiency, Yang deficiency, phlegm dampness, and Yin deficiency were more likely to experience frailty.