Publication

NNIW83 - Frailty Pathophysiology, Phenotype, and Patient Care

Growth & Development

04.03.2017

145 min read

Clinical Nutrition Series 83 Volumes

Worldwide, the population aged 65 years and more is expected to grow from near 500 million people in 2004 to an estimated 2 billion people by 2050. The geriatric syndrome of frailty is likely to affect a large number of elderly living in the community, as approximately 14% of those are frail and 43% are prefrail based on findings of the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) conducted in 10 major European countries.In a frail state, older adults are at greater risk for adverse outcomes, including falls and admissions to hospitals and nursing homes. Early action is warranted in vulnerable individuals because frailty is a predisabled condition, disability is costly, and initiating intervention may modify the frailty trajectory. Yet, today it is more common for older adults to progress to a worsened level of frailty than to transition to an improvement. The development and application of evolving science is important for better patient-centric health care.

Author(s): Roger A. Fielding, Cornel Sieber, Bruno Vellas