It is not surprising to find aspects of aging correlated with one another; some people have a greater burden of cell and tissue damage than others, and thus tend to be more greatly impacted in all organs and systems as a result. Equally, the failing capacity of any one organ or system can accelerate the decline of all the others. The immune system is a good example, given its importance to tissue function, and the kidney is another. Kidney function is absolutely vital for health, and impairment drags down the rest of the body. As an example of this, researchers here report on a correlation between degree of kidney aging and degree of frailty in older people.
This study aimed to investigate the association between baseline kidney function and frailty trajectories in middle-aged and older adults. Data were derived from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2018), including 5,364 participants aged ≥45 years at baseline with up to four assessment waves over approximately 7 years. Kidney function was evaluated using estimated glomerular filtration rate based on serum creatinine and cystatin C (eGFRscr-cysc). Frailty was assessed using a 30-item frailty index (0-100 scale).
At baseline, the mean frailty index was higher in participants with mildly (β=2.28) and moderately-to-severely (β=3.70) reduced kidney function compared to normal kidney function, where β represents the adjusted difference in frailty index relative to the reference group. Frailty index increased over time in all groups; in participants with normal kidney function, it rose by 0.83 points per year. The annual increase was 0.26 points greater in the mildly reduced and 0.70 points greater in the moderately-to-severely reduced group. Over approximately 7 years, predicted mean frailty index increased from 15.1 to 20.9, 17.4 to 25.0, and 18.8 to 29.5 in the normal, mildly reduced and moderately-to-severely reduced groups, respectively.
Thus middle-aged and older adults with lower kidney function exhibited higher frailty index levels at baseline and faster frailty progression over time.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjfa.2026.100151
View the full article at FightAging
