The influence of frailty syndrome on acceptance of illness in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Figures & data

Table 1 Sociodemographic characteristics of the studied patients

Characteristics	N	%
Sex
Men	64	62.75
Women	38	37.25
Marital status
Married/in a relationship	59	57.84
Separated/divorced	22	22.57
Widow/widower	21	20.59
Education
Vocational/primary	27	26.47
Preuniversity	57	55.88
Higher vocational/university	14	13.73
Data not available	4	3.92
Place of residence
Rural area	40	39.22
Urban area	62	60.78
Knowledge about COPD
I believe I know everything on this topic	7	6.86
I know as much as I need to know	33	32.35
I know too little	60	58.82
I do not know and I do not want to know	2	1.96
The most useful sources of information helpful in coping with the disease
Conversation with a doctor	38	37.25
Conversation with a nurse	40	39.21
Books, leaflets	19	18.63
Television	5	4.9

Abbreviation: N, number of patients.

Table 2 Clinical characteristics of the studied patients

Clinical characteristics
Spirometry	Mean (SD)	Range
FEV1 (L)	1.36 (0.7)	0.51–3.50
FEV1 %N	49 (16.3)	15–87
Ratio of FEV1 to FVC (Tiffeneau index)	0.61 (0.17)	0.41–0.7
Characteristics	N	%
Duration of the disease
0–5 years	17	16.67
5–10 years	28	27.45
10–15 years	34	33.33
Longer than 15 years	23	22.55
Disease severity by GOLD
I	3	3
II	38	37
III	53	52
IV	8	8
Comorbidities
Hypertension	47	46.07
Coronary artery disease	33	32.35
Heart failure	29	28.43
Diabetes	19	18.63
Heart arrhythmia	10	9.80
Duration of smoking
0–5 years	22	21.57
5–10 years	9	8.82
10–15 years	20	19.61
Longer than 15 years	51	50.00
The number of cigarettes smoked per day
0–10	30	29.41
10–20	40	39.22
More than 20	33	31.37
Frequency of dyspnea exacerbations during last month
Once a day	17	16.67
More often than twice a day	41	40.20
Several times a week	25	24.51
Only after physical effort	19	18.63
Frequency of awakening due to COPD symptoms during the last month
Once a week	28	27.45
Three nights a week or more often	57	55.88
None	17	16.67
Hospitalization due to exacerbation of COPD during the last 12 months
Yes	62	60.78
No	40	39.22
Ability of taking inhaled medications
Yes	66	64.71
No	36	35.29
The use of oxygen at home
Yes	11	10.78
No	91	89.22

Abbreviations: FEV₁, forced expira tory volume in 1 second; FEV₁%N, forced expiratory volume in 1 second % of output value; FVC, forced vital capacity; GOLD, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; N, number of patients; SD, standard deviation.

Table 3 Descriptive statistics for the questions of AIS

Questions from AIS questionnaire	Mean (SD)	Median (quartile I–III)
I have problems with adjusting to the limitations imposed by the disease	2.4 (0.97)	2 (2–3)
Due to my health condition, I am not able to do what I like the most	2.2 (0.95)	2 (2–3)
The disease makes me feel unwanted	3 (3.29)	3 (2–3)
Health problems make me more dependent on others than I would like to be	2.4 (1.11)	2 (2–3)
The disease makes me a burden for my family and friends	3.1 (1.10)	3 (2–4)
Due to my health condition I do not feel to be a really valuable man	2.4 (1.19)	2 (2–3)
I will never be as self-sufficient to the extent to which I would like to be	2.2 (1.20)	2 (1–3)
I believe people that stay with me are often embarrassed because of my disease	2.9 (0.92)	3 (2–3)
Overall level of acceptance of illness	20.6 (7.62)	19 (16–24)

Abbreviations: AIS, Acceptance of Illness Scale; SD, standard deviation.

Table 4 Descriptive statistics for Tilburg frailty indicator

Part B components of frailty	Yes	Sometimes	No
B1 physical components
11. Do you feel physically healthy?	19		83
12. Have you lost a lot of weight recently without wishing to do so?	32		69
Do you experience problems in your daily life due to
13. difficulty in walking?	41		56
14. difficulty maintaining your balance?	30		64
15. poor hearing?	24		68
16. poor vision?	53		40
17. lack of strength in your hands?	77		18
18. physical tiredness?	98		3
B2 psychological components
19. Do you have problems with your memory?	21	0	80
20. Have you felt down during the last month?	5	87	6
21. Have you felt nervous or anxious during the last month?	34	4	62
22. Are you able to cope with problems well?	47		52
B3 social components
23. Do you live alone?	31		69
24. Do you sometimes miss having people around you?	40	14	48
25. Do you receive enough support from other people?	71		31
Frailty in the studied group M (SD); min–max	7.42 (2.24)	3–12
Frailty syndrome	77		25
Physical domain M (SD); min–max	4.15 (1.95)	0–8
Psychological domain M (SD); min–max	2.13 (1.07)	0–4
Social domain M (SD); min–max	1.18 (0.89)	0–3

Abbreviations: max, maximum; M, mean; min, minimum; SD, standard deviation.

Table 5 Correlation coefficients between the level of illness acceptance and results of TFI scale in the study group

Variables of TFI scale	Acceptance of illness scale
Physical domain of TFI	−0.36*
Psychological domain of TFI	0.06
Social domain of TFI	−0.24*
The level of frailty	−0.35

Note:

* Statistical significance at a level of P<0.05.

Abbreviation: TFI, Tilburg frailty indicator.