▲(from the left) Professor Heewon Jung (Divison of Geriatrics, Asan Medical Center) and Professor Min-gu Kang (Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Bitgoeul Hospital)

A team led by Professor Heewon Jung of the Divison of Geriatrics at Asan Medical Center and Professor Min-gu Kang of the Department of Internal Medicine at Chonnam National University Bitgoeul Hospital analyzed the health trends of seniors by year and found that, over the past 12 years, the prevalence of chronic diseases has nearly doubled, while the frailty rate has decreased by about half.

The research team analyzed the annual frailty index of 17,784 older adults aged 65 and older from 2008 to 2020. The frailty index was calculated based on 30 variables in four areas: comorbidity, functional abilities, signs and symptoms, and laboratory test values. According to the frailty index, elderly individuals were categorized into non-frail, pre-frail, and frail phases.

The average annual frailty index decreased from 0.23 in 2008 to 0.18 in 2020. A Frailty Index of 0.2 or higher indicates pre-frailty, which is characterized by a slightly slower walking speed, a slightly stooped posture, and minor muscle loss due to the overlap of aging and chronic disease. In addition, the proportion of frail elderly individuals was compared by year, showing a decrease of about half from 41.1% in 2008 to 23.1% in 2020. The proportion of older people without frailty increased significantly from 28.7% in 2008 to 44.2% in 2020.

The factors influencing frailty have also changed significantly over the past twelve years. Overall, the prevalence of chronic diseases showed an increasing trend, with the prevalence of dyslipidemia increasing from 17.9% to 40.9%, diabetes from 20.6% to 30.0%, and cardiovascular disease from 5.6% to 9.3% between 2008 and 2020. However, declining trends were observed in the proportion of older adults with difficulty chewing from 59.4% to 33.1%, those with limitations in daily activities from 42.2% to 12.0%, and smokers from 17.0% to 9.3% during the same period.

The research was recently published in the ‘Journal of Korean Medical Science.’