Association between Immunosenescence Phenotypes and pre-frailty in Older Subjects: Does Cytomegalovirus Play a Role?
 
Association between Immunosenescence Phenotypes and pre-frailty in Older Subjects: Does Cytomegalovirus Play a Role ?
 
Hung Cao Dinh, Hung Cao Dinh, Hung Cao Dinh, Ivan Bautmans, Ivan Bautmans, Ivan Bautmans, Ingo Beyer, Ingo Beyer, Ingo Beyer, Tony Mets, Tony Mets, Tony Mets, Oscar Okwudiri Onyema, Oscar Okwudiri Onyema, Oscar Okwudiri Onyema, Louis Nuvagah Forti, Louis Nuvagah Forti, Louis Nuvagah Forti, Wim Renmans, Wim Renmans, Wim Renmans, Sam Vander Meeren, Sam Vander Meeren, Sam Vander Meeren, Kristin Jochmans, Kristin Jochmans, Kristin Jochmans, Sofie Vermeiren, Sofie Vermeiren, Sofie Vermeiren, Roberta Vella-Azzopardi, Roberta Vella-Azzopardi, Roberta Vella-Azzopardi, Rose Njemini, Rose Njemini, Rose Njemini, Dominique Verte, Dominique Verte, Dominique Verte, Mirko Petrovic, Mirko Petrovic, Mirko Petrovic, Liesbeth De Donder, Liesbeth De Donder, Liesbeth De Donder, Tinie Kardol, Tinie Kardol, Tinie Kardol, Gina Rossi, Gina Rossi, Gina Rossi, Peter Clarys, Peter Clarys, Peter Clarys, Aldo Scafoglieri, Aldo Scafoglieri, Aldo Scafoglieri, Erik Cattrysse, Erik Cattrysse, Erik Cattrysse, Paul de Hert, Paul de Hert, Paul de Hert, Bart Jansen, Bart Jansen, Bart Jansen
 
Abstract ■

Frailty is highly prevalent in old age and confers an important mortality risk. Although the causes of frailty are multiple, immuno-senescence (IS) - predominantly driven by cytomegalovirus (CMV) - has been implicated in its pathophysiology. Thus far, research examining the association between IS and frailty states is sparse and equivocal. On the other hand, evidence is mounting in support of the view that frailty can be reversed, especially for those in the pre-frail stage. Therefore, we aimed to clarify the impact of CMV on IS and its relevance to pre-frailty. 173 persons aged 80 to 99 years were enrolled. Pre-frailty was defined according to Fried's criteria. Anti-CMV IgG and serum IL-6 were measured using Architect iSystem and Luminex, respectively. T-cell phenotypes were determined using flow cytometry. The prevalence of pre-frailty was 52.6\%, increased with age (p=0.001), and was greater in men than women (p=0.044). No relationship was found between pre-frailty and positive CMV serology. Further, CMV-seropositivity was significantly associated with less na{\"i}ve cells, more memory and senescence-prone phenotypes (all p<0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, only IL-6, age and sex were predictive of pre-frailty. We conclude that the presence of pre-frailty is independent from CMV infection in very old subjects.