Association between circulating osteogenic progenitor cells and disability and frailty in older persons: The nepean osteoporosis and frailty study

Abstract

Circulating osteogenic progenitor (COP) cells are considered as surrogates of the mesenchymal repository in the body. In this study, we hypothesized that COP cells decrease with age and that lower levels of COP cells are associated with greater frailty and disability in older persons. Using well-established clinical criteria, we quantified physical performance and disability and stratified frailty in a random sample of community-dwelling individuals enrolled in the Nepean Osteoporosis and Frailty (NOF) Study (mean age 82.8; N = 77; 70% female; 27 nonfrail, 23 prefrail, and 27 frail). Percentage of COP cells was quantified by flow cytometry. Logistic regression models estimated the relationsh..