BrUssels sTudy on The Early pRedictors of FraiLtY
The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the concept of Active Ageing in reaction to the negative and purely economic discourse on ageing. Active ageing is the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age. One of the most prominent barriers to active and healthy ageing is frailty. Although considerable debate remains regarding the conceptual definition and operationalization of frailty, researchers generally agree that frailty is a dynamic, age-related condition characterized by a decline in homeostatic reserves in multiple physiological systems, leading to decreased resistance to stressors and an increased risk of adverse health outcomes such as falls, hospitalization, diminished mobility, increasing disability in activities of daily living and ultimately early death. These health risks not only drive up healthcare utilization costs, but also put a strain on social security systems.
The Brussels study on the early predictors of frailty (BUTTERFLY) is a project of the interdisciplinary network "Gerontopole Brussels", which was initiated by the Frailty in Ageing (FRIA) and Belgian Ageing Studies (BAS) research groups of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). The network brings together ten VUB research teams and the Department of Ageing and Life Course of the WHO.
BUTTERFLY is an explorative, observational cohort study aiming to identify new frailty and healthy ageing markers in older adults aged 80 and over, and to determine their predictive value for the occurrence of frailty or the maintenance of healthy ageing. A large cohort of community-dwelling older adults aged 80 and over is recruited (n=500 already included by July 2019). Non-frail participants — that is, robust on the Fried Phenotype, the Rockwood Frailty Index and the Groningen Frailty Indicator — are reassessed using an extensive test battery (medical, physical, psychological, social and environmental) for potential early markers of frailty every six months over a period of two years. The assessments take place at the University Hospital of Brussels in Jette.
The outcomes of this study will provide a basis for further research opportunities and practical applications for older people, including specific treatment interventions or new models of care. The findings will also make it possible to differentiate proactively between older adults who will remain fit and independent and those who are apparently fit but at risk of becoming frail. Future studies within the research programme will focus on intervention trials to prevent or counter frailty in people aged 80 and over, by targeting early frailty markers specifically and maintaining healthy ageing. The Gerontopole Brussels consortium has already published multiple scientific articles.*
For questions or interest in our study, you can contact Prof. Ivan Bautmans on 02/477.42.08 or by email at ivan.bautmans@vub.be
*See the publications related to this project.