Spanish researchers link inflammation and physical frailty to health risks

Researchers in Spain have identified new links between inflammation, cellular aging, and health risks in specific patient populations.

A study led by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) has associated plasma biomarkers of immune regulation and aging with an increased risk of skeletal events, such as fragility fractures and osteonecrosis, in people living with HIV. While antiretroviral therapy has turned HIV into a chronic condition, the disease can induce a state of chronic immune activation and low-grade inflammation known as ‘inflammaging,’ which disrupts bone remodeling and leads to bone mass loss.

In a separate study involving the Vall d’Hebron Instituto de Investigación and Parque Sanitario Pere Virgili, researchers found that a simple physical test can predict mortality risk in cancer patients. The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)—an assessment of balance, gait speed, and lower limb strength—was shown to be a highly effective prognostic tool for patients aged 65 and older with various cancers, including lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers. The study suggests that frailty is a more useful indicator of survival than chronological age.