Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34981430›Full record

SynthesisAging clinical and experimental research2022

Inflammatory biomarkers in older adults with frailty: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies.

YuShuang Xu, MengMeng Wang, Di Chen, Xin Jiang, ZhiFan Xiong

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Aging clinical and experimental research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 85 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
85citing papers in PubMed, 10 pooled it
13.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

85 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 114 citations in OpenAlex.

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  11. Trial
  12. Article
  13. Cardiovascular frailty - an emerging frailty phenotype.Journal of human hypertension · 2026
    Review
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Metabolic syndrome duration and risk of frailty among midlife women: the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2026
    Article
  20. Observational

25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

YuShuang XuDivision of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
MengMeng WangDivision of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Di ChenDivision of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Xin JiangDivision of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
ZhiFan XiongDivision of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. xiongzhifan@126.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7190-8073
Huazhong University of Science and Technology · CN

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China 2018YFC2002000
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSystemic chronic inflammation has been proposed as an essential mediating factor in frailty, and several studies tested its relationship with frailty. However, the issue is still controversial.

objectivesWe identified observational studies and pooled their results to assess whether abnormal expression of inflammatory biomarkers is present in the blood of older adults with frailty.

methodsWe conducted a systematic search on the Medline, Embase, and Web of Science database from inception to 1st September 2021. The quality of included studies was assessed using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies (JBI-MAStARI). Study heterogeneity was assessed with the Cochran Q test and I

resultA total of 53 cross-sectional studies corresponding to 56 independent study populations were included in this analysis. There were 31 study populations with three frailty categories (3144 frailty, 14,023 pre-frailty, 10,989 robust) and 25 study populations with two frailty categories (2576 frailty, 8368 non-frailty). This meta-analysis performed pooled analyses for the inflammatory biomarker leukocyte, lymphocytes, CRP, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α. Older adults with frailty had lower lymphocytes and higher interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels compared with the control group. However, there was no significant difference in leukocyte and IL-10 levels in the two groups.

conclusionsThese findings suggest that peripheral inflammatory biomarkers lymphocytes, IL-6, CRP, and TNF-α are related to frailty status. Our findings are not conclusive regarding the causal relationship between chronic inflammation and frailty, so the development of further longitudinal and well-designed studies focused on this is necessary.

Indexed as

FrailtyAgedBiomarkersC-Reactive ProteinCross-Sectional StudiesHumansInflammationInterleukin-10Interleukin-6Tumor Necrosis Factor-alphaBiomarkersC-Reactive ProteinInterleukin-10Interleukin-6Tumor Necrosis Factor-alphaCross-sectional studiesFrailtyInflammatory biomarkersMeta-analysis

Identifiers

PMID34981430
OpenAlexW4205535960

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.