Frequency, intensity and localization of pain as risk factors for frailty in older adults

Background: the association between pain characteristics and frailty risk is uncertain. Objective: to investigate the separate impact of the frequency, intensity and location of pain on frailty risk and its possible mechanisms. Methods: prospective cohort of 1505 individuals ≥63 years followed between 2012 and 2015 in Spain. In 2012, pain was classified into: lowest pain (Score 0), middle pain (Score 1-4) and highest pain (Score 5-6). Incident frailty was assessed in 2015 as having ≥3 Fried criteria or a Frailty Index (FI) ≥0.30. Results: in multivariate analyses, the risk of frailty (measured with the Fried criteria or the FI) increased progressively with the frequency of pain, its intensi…