Frailty predicts fractures among women with and at-risk for HIV.

To determine associations between frailty and fracture in women with and without HIV infection. Prospective longitudinal cohort study evaluating associations between baseline frailty status and frailty components, with first and second incident fractures. We evaluated associations of frailty with fracture among 1332 women with HIV and 532 uninfected women without HIV. Frailty was defined as at least three of five Fried Frailty Index components: slow gait, reduced grip strength, exhaustion, unintentional weight loss, and low physical activity. Cox proportional hazards models determined predictors of time to first and second fracture; similar models evaluated Fried Frailty Index components. Women with HIV were older (median 42 vs. 39 years, P < 0.0001) and more often frail (14 vs. 8%, P = 0.04) than women without HIV; median follow-up was 10.6 years. Frailty was independently associated with time to first fracture in women with and without HIV combined [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.71, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.30-2.26; P = 0.0001], and among women with HIV only (aHR 1.91, 95% CI: 1.41-2.58; P < 0.0001), as well as with time from first to second fracture among women with HIV (aHR 1.86, 95% CI: 1.15-3.01; P = 0.01). In this cohort of middle-aged racial and ethnic minority women with or at-risk for HIV, frailty was a strong and independent predictor of fracture risk. As women with HIV continue to age, early frailty screening may be a useful clinical tool to help identify those at greatest risk of fracture.