Frailty Phenotype: a Clinical Marker of Age Acceleration in the Older HIV-infected Population

Aim: To evaluate the association between DNA methylation and frailty in the HIV-infected population and to investigate the usefulness of assessing frailty as a clinical marker to identify age acceleration.

Methods: Frailty was assessed according to Fried's frailty phenotype. DNA methylation was analyzed in 10 frail patients, and compared with 10 robust control patients, all with HIV. Predicted age was inferred using the Weidner's formula. Age acceleration was assessed using the difference between predicted and chronological age.

Results: HIV-infected frail patients had significantly higher biological predicted ages than chronological ages (mean acceleration: 10.3 years; p = 0.012).

Conclusions: We link age acceleration and frailty in an older HIV population. Frailty could be used in this population for implementing specific clinical approaches.