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Abstract Frailty may be considered as a vulnerable status, which can precede the onset of overt disability. Frailty as a syndrome arises from the ”physiologic triad” of sarcopenia, immune and neuroendocrine dysregulation. A well-studied decrease in the physiological reserve of the body was reported with age. Because of the complex nature of the aging process, evaluation of frailty and its severity is a better indicator of general condition as compared with chronological age. With advancing age, the serum levels of FT3 and FT4 show progressive and continuous decrease, but the levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) are somewhat constant. More than two fold increased risk for frailty in elderly with high TSH levels suggests that the loss of thyroid function is associated with frailty. The aim of the work is to study the circulating thyroid hormones (TSH, FT3, and FT4) and to determine the relationship of circulating thyroid hormones and frailty in Elderly. This study included 50 subjects selected from Outpatient Geriatric Clinic and Geriatric Unit at Alexandria University Hospital. Subjects were divided into two groups; group A: 30 subjects above the age of 65 years living with frailty and group B: 20 healthy subjects below the age of 65 years as a control group. All the subjects were subjected to full history taking and clinical examination including general examination and local examination. Frailty assessment was done for all the cases included in the cases in this study. Laboratory investigations including measurement of thyroid function ( TSH, FT3 and FT4) ,complete blood count (CBC), blood urea , serum creatinine and liver enzymes (ALT and AST). |