Cognitive impairment in people with physical frailty using the phenotype model: A systematic review and meta analysis

OBJECTIVE: We performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis to study the relationship between cognitive functioning and phenotypic frailty status. METHODS: We searched Pubmed, Cochrane Library and Epistemonikos from 2000 until March 2022, and used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. Samples included both sexes, age ≥55 years, assessed with standardized measures of the different cognitive domains and the frailty phenotype model and analyzing the relationship between the frailty subtypes pre‐frail, frail and robust and specific cognitive function. RESULTS: Eleven studies published from 2008 until March 2022 fulfilled the inclusion criteria, and 10 were included in our meta‐analyses. Sample sizes varied from 104 to 4649 individuals. Mean Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores ranged from 17.0 to 27.6, with mean difference (MD) of −2.55 (95% confidence interval [CI] −3.32, −1.78) in frail compared to robust, MD −1.64 (95% CI −2.21, −1.06) in frail compared to prefrail and MD −0.68 (95% CI −0.94, −0.43) in prefrail compared to robust. In subgroup analyses, frail persons had lower scores in the memory domain with standardized mean difference (SMD) −1.01 (95% CI −1.42, −0.59). CONCLUSION: MMSE scores were significantly lower in frail compared to robust and prefrail persons and in prefrail compared to robust persons. Subgroup analysis of memory revealed significantly poorer scores in frail compared to robust. The results indicate a strong relationship between physical frailty and cognitive impairment suggesting incorporation of cognitive function in frailty assessments.