在脑肿瘤患者中，虚弱与预后不良有关。 COVID-19 大流行导致普通人群更加虚弱。迄今为止，尚缺乏关于大流行期间脑肿瘤患者虚弱变化的证据。我们的目的是比较德国脑肿瘤患者在 COVID-19 大流行期间与大流行前的虚弱情况，并评估对脑肿瘤护理的潜在影响。在这项回顾性观察研究中，我们比较了在 COVID-19 期间住院的脑肿瘤患者的虚弱情况根据德国 78 家医院全国网络的管理数据，预测 2020 年至 2022 年以及 2016 年至 2019 年大流行前的 -19 次大流行。使用医院衰弱风险评分 (HFRS)，衰弱分为低、中或高。我们检查了大流行期间不同虚弱人群的虚弱情况、患者人口统计、合并症负担、手术率和死亡率的变化，并将其与大流行前的水平进行比较。在 20,005 例因脑肿瘤住院的患者中，有 7,979 例是在大流行期间发生的。大流行期间（平均年龄 60.0 岁（± 18.4）；女性：49.8%），大流行前有 12,026 人（平均年龄：59.0 岁 [± 18.4]；女性：49.2%）。平均每日入院人数从大流行前的 8.2 人次 (±5.1 人次) 下降到大流行期间的 7.3 人次 (±4.5 人次) (p<0.01)。 HFRS 总体中位数从大流行前几年的 3.1（IQR：0.9-7.3）下降到大流行期间的 2.6（IQR：0.3-6.8）（p< 0.01）。与此同时，Elixhauser 合并症指数 (ECI) 从 17.0 (±12.4) 下降至 16.1 (±12.0；p<0.01)，但与低虚弱病例相比，高虚弱病例的降幅更大（分别下降 1.8 点和 0.3 点； p = 0.04）。在整个队列中，与大流行前的水平（10.2 天 [± 11.8]；p < 0.01）相比，大流行期间的平均住院时间显着缩短（9.5 天 [± 10.7]），三项虚弱的差异相似组。脑肿瘤切除率从大流行前的 29.9% 增加到大流行期间的 36.6% (p<0.001)，虚弱程度之间没有差异。住院死亡率在大流行期间没有变化（6.1% vs. 6.7%，p = 0.07），并且与虚弱没有相互作用。尽管我们的研究结果有限，因为 HFRS 仅对 ≥ 75 的患者进行了验证我们对德国因脑肿瘤住院的各年龄段患者进行的研究表明，在 COVID-19 大流行期间，虚弱程度和合并症负担显着下降。© 2023。作者。

Among brain tumor patients, frailty is associated with poor outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased frailty in the general population. To date, evidence on changes in frailty among brain tumor patients during the pandemic is lacking. We aimed to compare frailty among brain tumor patients in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic to the pre-pandemic era and to assess potential effects on brain tumor care.In this retrospective observational study, we compared frailty among brain tumor patients hospitalized during the COVID-19 pandemic in years 2020 through 2022 to pre-pandemic years 2016 through 2019 based on administrative data from a nationwide network of 78 hospitals in Germany. Using the Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS), frailty was categorized as low, intermediate, or high. We examined changes in frailty, patient demographics, the burden of comorbidity, rates of surgery, and mortality rates for different frailty groups during the pandemic and compared them to pre-pandemic levels.Of the 20,005 included hospitalizations for brain tumors, 7979 were during the pandemic (mean age 60.0 years (± 18.4); females: 49.8%), and 12,026 in the pre-pandemic period (mean age: 59.0 years [± 18.4]; females: 49.2%). Average daily admissions decreased from 8.2 (± 5.1) during pre-pandemic years to 7.3 (± 4.5) during the pandemic (p < 0.01). The overall median HFRS decreased from 3.1 (IQR: 0.9-7.3) during the pre-pandemic years to 2.6 (IQR: 0.3-6.8) during the pandemic (p < 0.01). At the same time, the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) decreased from 17.0 (± 12.4) to 16.1 (± 12.0; p < 0.01), but to a larger degree among high compared to low frailty cases (by 1.8 vs. 0.3 points; p = 0.04). In the entire cohort, the mean length of stay was significantly shorter in the pandemic period (9.5 days [± 10.7]) compared with pre-pandemic levels (10.2 days [± 11.8]; p < 0.01) with similar differences in the three frailty groups. Rates of brain tumor resection increased from 29.9% in pre-pandemic years to 36.6% during the pandemic (p < 0.001) without differences between frailty levels. Rates of in-hospital mortality did not change during the pandemic (6.1% vs. 6.7%, p = 0.07), and there was no interaction with frailty.Even though our findings are limited in that the HFRS is validated only for patients ≥ 75 years of age, our study among patients of all ages hospitalized for brain tumors in Germany suggests a marked decrease in levels of frailty and in the burden of comorbidities during the COVID-19 pandemic.© 2023. The Author(s).