Project
Longitudinal study of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Frailty
The demographic change is a great challenge for social welfare systems. Healthy aging is threatened
by prevalent syndromes in the elderly including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and
frailty. Both are associated with substantial morbidity, disability and mortality, though their
interrelationship is insufficiently investigated. COPD is characterized by persistent airflow limitation
and chronic inflammation of the airways and lungs. Frailty is the inability to compensate function
loss.
In this interuniversity and multidisciplinary project, we will elucidate the incidence of frailty in the
Rotterdam Study, a large prospective population-based cohort study of 15.000 participants with
more than 25 years follow-up, including 2.000 subjects with COPD. Secondly, we will unravel the
underlying pathophysiology of the onset of frailty, including the role of exacerbations, inflammation,
and sarcopenia. Thanks to a better understanding of incident frailty in subjects with and without
COPD, we will be able to identify new targets to prevent and treat two devastating syndromes in the
elderly.
Finally, we will develop a prognostic index for vulnerable elderly in the community and validate it
within the BELFRAIL elderly cohort. By providing more objectively estimated probabilities,
individuals are better informed regarding their prognosis and health care professionals are aided in
their reasoning and decision making regarding further management including withholding
treatments.