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05:53
Measuring Frailty in HIV-infected Individuals. Identification of Frail Patients is the First Step to Amelioration and Reversal of Frailty
Published on: July 24, 2013
Inflammation, coagulation, and the pathway to frailty.
Bindu Kanapuru1, William B Ershler
1Clinical Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
The American Journal of Medicine
|June 30, 2009
Summary
Aging causes physiological changes, but frailty develops in some individuals. This review explores the biology of frailty, focusing on inflammation and coagulation in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Immunology
- Hematology
Background:
- Aging is associated with inevitable physiological changes.
- Frailty is an exaggerated phenotype of aging, but its causes are not fully understood.
- While chronic illnesses are common in frail individuals, some develop frailty without a diagnosed disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of current research on the biology of frailty.
- To emphasize the role of inflammatory pathways in frailty pathogenesis.
- To highlight the role of disordered coagulation in frailty pathogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Review of current scientific literature on frailty.
- Analysis of research on inflammatory cytokines in frail individuals.
- Examination of studies on coagulation factors in frail individuals.
Main Results:
- Certain proinflammatory cytokines are elevated in frail individuals compared to non-frail individuals.
- Specific coagulation factors are elevated in frail individuals compared to non-frail individuals.
- Inflammatory pathways and disordered coagulation are implicated in frailty.
Conclusions:
- Inflammatory pathways play a significant role in the pathogenesis of frailty.
- Disordered coagulation contributes to the development of frailty.
- Further research into these biological mechanisms can inform interventions for frailty.
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