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Association between serum interleukin-6 and frailty in older men: cross-sectional data

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Key summary points

AbstractSection Aim

To investigate the association between serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and frailty.

AbstractSection Finding

There is evidence that suggests that IL-6 is positively associated with frailty in men; an association partly explained by medications known to affect inflammation.

AbstractSection Messages

These findings support the notion that frailty is a state of heightened inflammation and that IL-6 could be a potential biomarker useful for identifying individuals that are at risk of frailty.

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the association between serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and frailty.

Methods

Participants were 581 men aged 60–90 yr (median (IQR): 74 yr (67–83 yr)) from the Geelong Osteoporosis Study. Tallies of ≥ 3, 1–2 and 0 for weight loss/exhaustion/physical-inactivity/slowness/weakness indicated frailty, pre-frailty and robustness, respectively. Anthropometry, lower-limb muscle strength and physical performance were measured and health behaviours self-reported. Serum IL-6 was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and log-transformed (ln-IL-6). Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was also measured using quantitative colorimetric determination. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression models tested associations between ln-IL-6 and frailty while considering age, anthropometry, comorbidities, TAC, medications that affect inflammatory processes, lifestyle and socioeconomic status.

Results

There were 49(8.4%) frail and 315(54.2%) pre-fail men. A relationship was evident between ln-IL-6 and frailty before and after accounting for age (adjusted OR = 1.24, 95%CI 1.01–1.53). Adjusting for medications attenuated the association (OR = 1.20, 95%CI 0.98–1.48). No other confounders were identified.

Conclusion

These data suggest that IL-6 is positively associated with frailty in men, partly explained by advancing age and medications known to affect inflammation.

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Fig. 1

Data availability

Data are available upon reasonable request.

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Funding

The Geelong Osteoporosis Study (GOS) was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia (projects 299831, 628582). The funding organisation played no role in the design or conduct of the study, in the collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data, nor in the preparation, review and approval of the manuscript. MCT was supported by Deakin Postgraduate Scholarships, KLH-K and CCB were supported by Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellowships; SLB-O was supported by a NHMRC Career Development Fellowship (1107510) and LJW is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia Career Development Fellowship (1064272) and a NHMRC Investigator grant (1174060).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IMPACT – The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin University, (Barwon Health), PO Box 281, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia

    Monica C. Tembo, Kara L. Holloway-Kew, Chiara C. Bortolasci, Lana J. Williams, Mark A. Kotowicz & Julie A. Pasco

  2. School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia

    Sharon L. Brennan-Olsen

  3. Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Waterfront Geelong Campus, Geelong, VIC, Australia

    Sharon L. Brennan-Olsen

  4. Department of Medicine-Western Health, The University of Melbourne, St Albans, VIC, Australia

    Sharon L. Brennan-Olsen, Mark A. Kotowicz & Julie A. Pasco

  5. Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS), The University of Melbourne, St Albans, VIC, Australia

    Sharon L. Brennan-Olsen

  6. Barwon Health, Geelong, VIC, Australia

    Mark A. Kotowicz & Julie A. Pasco

  7. Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Prahran, VIC, Australia

    Julie A. Pasco

Authors
  1. Monica C. Tembo
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  2. Kara L. Holloway-Kew
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  3. Chiara C. Bortolasci
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  4. Sharon L. Brennan-Olsen
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  5. Lana J. Williams
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  6. Mark A. Kotowicz
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  7. Julie A. Pasco
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Contributions

MT designed the study, was responsible for statistical analysis of data and prepared the first draft of the paper. She is the guarantor. KLH-K, CCB, MAK, JAP contributed in the acquisition and interpretation of data. KLH-K, SLB-O, LJW, MK, JAP contributed to the study design. All authors revised the paper critically for intellectual content and approved the final version. All authors agree to be accountable for the work and to ensure that any questions relating to the accuracy and integrity of the paper are investigated and properly resolved.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Monica C. Tembo.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

MCT, CCB, SLBO, LJW and MAK have declared that no competing interests exist. KLH-K reports grants from Prolia BCGP Competitive Grant Program, grants from Amgen Investigator Sponsored Studies Grant, outside the submitted work. JAP reports grants from NHMRC, during the conduct of the study; grants from Norman Beischer Foundation, grants from Deakin University, grants from Amgen Australia, outside the submitted work.

Ethics approval

The study was approved by the Barwon Health Human Research Ethics Committee (Approval number 00/56).

Consent to participate

All participants provided written, informed consent.

Disclosure

The abstract of this manuscript was presented at the Australia and New Zealand Society of Sarcopenia and Frailty Research conference 2019 and was subsequently published (Poster Abstracts. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 2020; 39 (S2):43–44.

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Tembo, M.C., Holloway-Kew, K.L., Bortolasci, C.C. et al. Association between serum interleukin-6 and frailty in older men: cross-sectional data. Eur Geriatr Med 12, 887–892 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-021-00490-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-021-00490-8

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