Prevalence of social frailty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: data from a multicenter observational study (T-FLAG study).

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of social frailty and associated factors.

Methods: A total of 655 consecutive patients who were able to complete the Kihon Checklist (KCL) and the Questionnaire on Social Frailty between June and August 2022 were enrolled. Social frailty was assessed using the Makizako Social Frailty Index. Patient characteristics were analyzed by analysis of variance. Factors associated with social frailty were analyzed using multivariate logistic analysis. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were used to examine correlations between each KCL domain and social frailty.

Results: Mean age was 68 years, and disease duration was 12 years; 73% of patients were female. Social frailty was present in 30.8% of patients, with 36.5% classified as social pre-frailty. Multivariate analysis revealed age and HAQ-DI to be independent factors associated with social frailty. The proportion of social frailty increased with increasing age and worsening HAQ-DI scores. The KCL domain "Isolation" was the most strongly associated with social frailty (r = 0.601, P < 0.001), with higher scores associated with a higher proportion of social frailty.

Conclusions: Social frailty in RA patients is associated with age and physical impairment (HAQ-DI). Moreover, the KCL domain "Isolation" was strongly associated with social frailty.