Relationship between Health Literacy and Frailty in Older Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease

Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with an increased risk of frailty, morbidity, and mortality in older adults. Limited health literacy (HL) is a condition that can cause frailty in CKD. Frailty leads to a decreased resistance to stress situations caused by activities of daily living and increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between HL and frailty in older adults with stage 4-5 CKD. Methods A total of 109 patients with stage 4-5CKD were included. All patients underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment. Health literacy was assessed by the Turkish version of the European Health Literacy Questionnaire. Frailty status was measured using the Fried Frailty Index. Results The median age was 72 (68-80) years and 72 patients (66.1%) had lowHL. Forty-six patients (42.2%) were frail, and frailty was more common in the low HL group. Conclusion The present study demonstrated that low HL level was common in geriatric patients with stage 4-5 CKD and was associated with frailty, as well as a decrease in daily and instrumental life activities, decrease in acceptance of illness scale, and compliance with medical treatment.