Frailty Syndrome: A Review

Frailty is a condition associated with ageing, co-morbidity and disability. Frailty was an elusive concept earlier despite efforts at consensus. There is now a better understanding of the multisystem dysfunction and the instability involved and an apparent clarity on measures that could correct deficits and ameliorate symptoms. The syndrome of frailty describes older people at a higher risk for adverse health outcomes such as illnesses, hospitalisations, disability and mortality. Clinically, it is diagnosed on combination of specific symptoms such as weight loss, muscle weakness/fatigue, low physical activity and slow walking speed. It can be identified by a multi-domain assessment of function. Interventions aimed at causative factors may help prevent conversion of frailty into disability. Current management measures are related to promoting physical activity including resistance training, clinical nutrition modifications in protein/amino-acids intakes, and usage of pharmacologic agents-ACE inhibitors, hormones-GH /testosterone in carefully investigated and selected patients. Large healthcare interventions and pharmacological trials are in progress.