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BMC Geriatrics
Published in: BMC Geriatrics 1/2010

Open Access 01-12-2010 | Study protocol

The BELFRAIL (BFC80+) study: a population-based prospective cohort study of the very elderly in Belgium

Authors: Bert Vaes, Agnes Pasquet, Pierre Wallemacq, Nawel Rezzoug, Hassan Mekouar, Pierre-Alexandre Olivier, Delphine Legrand, Catharina Matheï, Gijs Van Pottelbergh, Jan Degryse

Published in: BMC Geriatrics | Issue 1/2010

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Abstract

Background

In coming decades the proportion of very elderly people living in the Western world will dramatically increase. This forthcoming "grey epidemic" will lead to an explosion of chronic diseases. In order to anticipate booming health care expenditures and to assure that social security is funded in the future, research focusing on the relationship between chronic diseases, frailty and disability is needed. The general aim of the BELFRAIL cohort study (BFC80+) is to study the dynamic interaction between health, frailty and disability in a multi-system approach focusing on cardiac dysfunction and chronic heart failure, lung function, sarcopenia, renal insufficiency and immunosenescence.

Methods/Design

The BFC80+ is a prospective, observational, population-based cohort study of subjects aged 80 years and older in three well-circumscribed areas of Belgium. In total, 29 general practitioner (GP) centres were asked to include patients aged 80 and older. Only three exclusion criteria were used: severe dementia, in palliative care and medical emergency. Two sampling methods for the recruitment of patients were used. Between November 2, 2008 and September 15, 2009, 567 subjects were included in the BFC80+ study. Every study participant was invited to undergo four study visits. The GP recorded background variables and medical history and performed a detailed anamnesis and clinical examination. The clinical research assistant performed an extensive examination including performance testing, questionnaires and technical examinations. Echocardiography was performed at home by a cardiologist. A blood sample was collected in the morning. Follow-up reporting of hard outcome measures including mortality, hospitalization and morbidity was organized. A second data collection is planned after 18 months.

Discussion

The BFC80+ was designed to acquire a better understanding of the epidemiology and pathophysiology of chronic diseases in the very elderly and to study the dynamic interaction between health, frailty and disability in a multi-system approach. The wide variety of dimensions investigated in the BFC80+ will enable us not only to investigate in depth the relationship between the different physiological systems but also to initiate new research questions based on this unique database of community-dwelling elderly.
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Metadata
Title
The BELFRAIL (BFC80+) study: a population-based prospective cohort study of the very elderly in Belgium
Authors
Bert Vaes
Agnes Pasquet
Pierre Wallemacq
Nawel Rezzoug
Hassan Mekouar
Pierre-Alexandre Olivier
Delphine Legrand
Catharina Matheï
Gijs Van Pottelbergh
Jan Degryse
Publication date
01-12-2010
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Geriatrics / Issue 1/2010
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2318
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2318-10-39

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