Background: The development of frailty at hospital discharge affects the clinical outcomes in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors who had no frailty before hospitalization. We aimed to describe the prevalence of new frailty using the clinical frailty scale (CFS) and evaluate its associated factors in patients with severe COVID-19 without pre-existing frailty before hospitalization. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of clinical data from a nationwide retrospective cohort collected from 22 hospitals between January 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021. The patients were at least 19 years old and survived until discharge after admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) because of severe COVID-19. Development of new frailty was defined as a CFS score ≥5 at hospital discharge. Results: Among 669 severe COVID-19 survivors without pre-existing frailty admitted to the ICU, the mean age was 65.2±12.8 years, 62.5% were male, and 50.2% received mechanical ventilation (MV). The mean CFS score at admission was 2.4±0.9, and new frailty developed in 27.8% (186/483). In multivariate analysis, older age, cardiovascular disease, CFS score of 3–4 before hospitalization, increased C-reactive protein level, longer duration of corticosteroid treatment, and use of MV and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were identified as factors associated with new-onset frailty. Conclusion Our study suggests that new frailty is not uncommon and is associated with diverse factors in survivors of severe COVID-19 without pre-existing frailty.

Background: We investigated whether nutritional intake is associated with physical activity (PA) and handgrip strength (HGS) in individuals with airflow limitation. Methods: This study analyzed data from the 2014 and 2016 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We assessed total protein intake (g/day), caloric intake (kcal/day), and other nutritional intakes, using a 24-hour dietary recall questionnaire. HGS was measured three times for each hand using a digital grip strength dynamometer, and PA was assessed as health-enhancing PA. Airflow limitation was defined as a forced expiratory volume/forced vital capacity ratio of 0.7 in individuals over 40 years of age. Participants were categorized into groups based on their PA levels and HGS measurements: active aerobic PA vs. non-active aerobic PA, and normal HGS vs. low HGS. Results: Among the 622 individuals with airflow limitation, those involved in active aerobic PA and those with higher HGS had notably higher total food, calorie, water, protein, and lipid intake. The correlations between protein and caloric intake with HGS were strong (correlation coefficients=0.344 and 0.346, respectively). The forest plots show that higher intakes of food, water, calories, protein, and lipids are positively associated with active aerobic PA, while higher intakes of these nutrients are inversely associated with low HGS. However, in the multivariate logistic regression analysis, no significant associations were observed between nutritional intake and active aerobic PA or HGS. Conclusion Nutritional intake was found to not be an independent factor associated with PA and HGS. However, the observed correlations suggest potential indirect effects that warrant further investigation.

The increasing number of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Korea has prompted interest in using the national surveillance system as a database for studying their health. To investigate the relationships between socio-demographic and epidemiological characteristics and mortality rates, a nationwide retrospective cohort was formed by integrating surveillance data with the Cause of Death Statistics from Statistics Korea. This integration included incidence reports, epidemiological investigations, and death reports from the surveillance data, enriched with detailed mortality information from the Cause of Death data. The cohort comprised 17,199 adult Korean individuals diagnosed with HIV infection from 1985 to 2020. By the end of 2020, 2,721 of these individuals were confirmed deceased. The sex ratio of the study participants was 14.3:1.0 (male to female), with 78.2% being under 50 years old at the time of diagnosis. Sexual contact was identified as the primary transmission route, accounting for 75.7% of cases. HIV disease emerged as the predominant cause of death, representing two-thirds (1,817 of 2,721) of the fatalities, followed by injuries and trauma, malignancies, and cardiovascular diseases. Recommendations for further cohort studies may be submitted to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Background: The development of frailty at hospital discharge affects the clinical outcomes in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors who had no frailty before hospitalization. We aimed to describe the prevalence of new frailty using the clinical frailty scale (CFS) and evaluate its associated factors in patients with severe COVID-19 without pre-existing frailty before hospitalization. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of clinical data from a nationwide retrospective cohort collected from 22 hospitals between January 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021. The patients were at least 19 years old and survived until discharge after admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) because of severe COVID-19. Development of new frailty was defined as a CFS score ≥5 at hospital discharge. Results: Among 669 severe COVID-19 survivors without pre-existing frailty admitted to the ICU, the mean age was 65.2±12.8 years, 62.5% were male, and 50.2% received mechanical ventilation (MV). The mean CFS score at admission was 2.4±0.9, and new frailty developed in 27.8% (186/483). In multivariate analysis, older age, cardiovascular disease, CFS score of 3–4 before hospitalization, increased C-reactive protein level, longer duration of corticosteroid treatment, and use of MV and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were identified as factors associated with new-onset frailty. Conclusion Our study suggests that new frailty is not uncommon and is associated with diverse factors in survivors of severe COVID-19 without pre-existing frailty.

Background: We investigated whether nutritional intake is associated with physical activity (PA) and handgrip strength (HGS) in individuals with airflow limitation. Methods: This study analyzed data from the 2014 and 2016 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We assessed total protein intake (g/day), caloric intake (kcal/day), and other nutritional intakes, using a 24-hour dietary recall questionnaire. HGS was measured three times for each hand using a digital grip strength dynamometer, and PA was assessed as health-enhancing PA. Airflow limitation was defined as a forced expiratory volume/forced vital capacity ratio of 0.7 in individuals over 40 years of age. Participants were categorized into groups based on their PA levels and HGS measurements: active aerobic PA vs. non-active aerobic PA, and normal HGS vs. low HGS. Results: Among the 622 individuals with airflow limitation, those involved in active aerobic PA and those with higher HGS had notably higher total food, calorie, water, protein, and lipid intake. The correlations between protein and caloric intake with HGS were strong (correlation coefficients=0.344 and 0.346, respectively). The forest plots show that higher intakes of food, water, calories, protein, and lipids are positively associated with active aerobic PA, while higher intakes of these nutrients are inversely associated with low HGS. However, in the multivariate logistic regression analysis, no significant associations were observed between nutritional intake and active aerobic PA or HGS. Conclusion Nutritional intake was found to not be an independent factor associated with PA and HGS. However, the observed correlations suggest potential indirect effects that warrant further investigation.

Background: The development of frailty at hospital discharge affects the clinical outcomes in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors who had no frailty before hospitalization. We aimed to describe the prevalence of new frailty using the clinical frailty scale (CFS) and evaluate its associated factors in patients with severe COVID-19 without pre-existing frailty before hospitalization. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of clinical data from a nationwide retrospective cohort collected from 22 hospitals between January 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021. The patients were at least 19 years old and survived until discharge after admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) because of severe COVID-19. Development of new frailty was defined as a CFS score ≥5 at hospital discharge. Results: Among 669 severe COVID-19 survivors without pre-existing frailty admitted to the ICU, the mean age was 65.2±12.8 years, 62.5% were male, and 50.2% received mechanical ventilation (MV). The mean CFS score at admission was 2.4±0.9, and new frailty developed in 27.8% (186/483). In multivariate analysis, older age, cardiovascular disease, CFS score of 3–4 before hospitalization, increased C-reactive protein level, longer duration of corticosteroid treatment, and use of MV and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were identified as factors associated with new-onset frailty. Conclusion Our study suggests that new frailty is not uncommon and is associated with diverse factors in survivors of severe COVID-19 without pre-existing frailty.

Background: We investigated whether nutritional intake is associated with physical activity (PA) and handgrip strength (HGS) in individuals with airflow limitation. Methods: This study analyzed data from the 2014 and 2016 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We assessed total protein intake (g/day), caloric intake (kcal/day), and other nutritional intakes, using a 24-hour dietary recall questionnaire. HGS was measured three times for each hand using a digital grip strength dynamometer, and PA was assessed as health-enhancing PA. Airflow limitation was defined as a forced expiratory volume/forced vital capacity ratio of 0.7 in individuals over 40 years of age. Participants were categorized into groups based on their PA levels and HGS measurements: active aerobic PA vs. non-active aerobic PA, and normal HGS vs. low HGS. Results: Among the 622 individuals with airflow limitation, those involved in active aerobic PA and those with higher HGS had notably higher total food, calorie, water, protein, and lipid intake. The correlations between protein and caloric intake with HGS were strong (correlation coefficients=0.344 and 0.346, respectively). The forest plots show that higher intakes of food, water, calories, protein, and lipids are positively associated with active aerobic PA, while higher intakes of these nutrients are inversely associated with low HGS. However, in the multivariate logistic regression analysis, no significant associations were observed between nutritional intake and active aerobic PA or HGS. Conclusion Nutritional intake was found to not be an independent factor associated with PA and HGS. However, the observed correlations suggest potential indirect effects that warrant further investigation.

The increasing number of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Korea has prompted interest in using the national surveillance system as a database for studying their health. To investigate the relationships between socio-demographic and epidemiological characteristics and mortality rates, a nationwide retrospective cohort was formed by integrating surveillance data with the Cause of Death Statistics from Statistics Korea. This integration included incidence reports, epidemiological investigations, and death reports from the surveillance data, enriched with detailed mortality information from the Cause of Death data. The cohort comprised 17,199 adult Korean individuals diagnosed with HIV infection from 1985 to 2020. By the end of 2020, 2,721 of these individuals were confirmed deceased. The sex ratio of the study participants was 14.3:1.0 (male to female), with 78.2% being under 50 years old at the time of diagnosis. Sexual contact was identified as the primary transmission route, accounting for 75.7% of cases. HIV disease emerged as the predominant cause of death, representing two-thirds (1,817 of 2,721) of the fatalities, followed by injuries and trauma, malignancies, and cardiovascular diseases. Recommendations for further cohort studies may be submitted to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

The increasing number of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Korea has prompted interest in using the national surveillance system as a database for studying their health. To investigate the relationships between socio-demographic and epidemiological characteristics and mortality rates, a nationwide retrospective cohort was formed by integrating surveillance data with the Cause of Death Statistics from Statistics Korea. This integration included incidence reports, epidemiological investigations, and death reports from the surveillance data, enriched with detailed mortality information from the Cause of Death data. The cohort comprised 17,199 adult Korean individuals diagnosed with HIV infection from 1985 to 2020. By the end of 2020, 2,721 of these individuals were confirmed deceased. The sex ratio of the study participants was 14.3:1.0 (male to female), with 78.2% being under 50 years old at the time of diagnosis. Sexual contact was identified as the primary transmission route, accounting for 75.7% of cases. HIV disease emerged as the predominant cause of death, representing two-thirds (1,817 of 2,721) of the fatalities, followed by injuries and trauma, malignancies, and cardiovascular diseases. Recommendations for further cohort studies may be submitted to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Background: The development of frailty at hospital discharge affects the clinical outcomes in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors who had no frailty before hospitalization. We aimed to describe the prevalence of new frailty using the clinical frailty scale (CFS) and evaluate its associated factors in patients with severe COVID-19 without pre-existing frailty before hospitalization. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of clinical data from a nationwide retrospective cohort collected from 22 hospitals between January 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021. The patients were at least 19 years old and survived until discharge after admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) because of severe COVID-19. Development of new frailty was defined as a CFS score ≥5 at hospital discharge. Results: Among 669 severe COVID-19 survivors without pre-existing frailty admitted to the ICU, the mean age was 65.2±12.8 years, 62.5% were male, and 50.2% received mechanical ventilation (MV). The mean CFS score at admission was 2.4±0.9, and new frailty developed in 27.8% (186/483). In multivariate analysis, older age, cardiovascular disease, CFS score of 3–4 before hospitalization, increased C-reactive protein level, longer duration of corticosteroid treatment, and use of MV and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were identified as factors associated with new-onset frailty. Conclusion Our study suggests that new frailty is not uncommon and is associated with diverse factors in survivors of severe COVID-19 without pre-existing frailty.