Combined Fried Frailty Scale and Mini Nutritional Assessment Identify Cardiovascular Patients with Reduced Protein/Albumin Plasma Levels

. Background: Frailty syndrome significantly worsens the prognosis of elderly people. An integral part of aging is sarcopenia and malnutrition. There is a lack of knowledge about the overlap of these states, as well as diagnostic methods and treatment. Methods: 170 patients >65 years were assessed for frailty using the Fried frailty scale. The risk of sarcopenia was measured using the SARC-F scale, and the risk of malnutrition was measured using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) scale. Serum albumin, protein, and fibrinogen levels were measured. Fat-free body mass and respiratory parameters were measured: peak expiratory flow (PEF) and forced expiratory volume- one second (FEV1). Results: 53 patients were classified as robust (31%), 96 as prefrail (57%), and 21 as frail (12%). Frail patients had significantly reduced serum albumin and increased fibrinogen compared to the pre-frail and robust groups (p<0.05). 38% of frail patients are at risk of sarcopenia, and 52% are at risk of malnutrition. Frail patients have lower PEF and FEV1 values. The decrease in respiratory parameters correlates with fat-free body mass and muscle strength. Conclusions: Patients with frailty are the group at most significant risk of malnutrition and sarcopenia compared to their healthy peers and patients in the prefrail stage. MNA and SARC-F scales combined with routine screening of elderly patients with frailty may allow for effective identification of patients at risk of malnutrition and sarcopenia.