Clinical Research Studies

Frailty is an age-related decline in multiple physiologic systems that confers significant vulnerability to health related changes.Frailty has been demonstrated to be a predictor of outcomes in numerous chronic disease states, including other inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Frailty-related constructs have been used to risk stratify patients in fields such as oncology. Therefore, we hypothesize that frailty may impact effectiveness and safety of immunosuppressive therapies in older adults with IBD. Accurately defining a “fit” and “frail” older IBD patient will be an important first step to risk stratifying older individuals with IBD. The existing retrospective cohort studies of older adults with IBD have not been designed to assess aspects unique to older individuals with IBD. To date, concepts of frailty, physical and cognitive impairment have not been studied in IBD. Understanding these factors that may contribute to therapeutic effectiveness and safety in older adults is a step toward precision medicine. A well-characterized cohort of older adults with IBD will also have future uses. As older patients are frequently excluded from clinical trials, a prospective cohort can provide the framework to study existing and novel therapies in this vulnerable population. The LOGIC cohort will address priority research themes for older adults with chronic conditions identified by the American Geriatrics Society as well as challenges in IBD research identified by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.