Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 12, 2026

Measuring Frailty in HIV-infected Individuals. Identification of Frail Patients is the First Step to Amelioration and Reversal of Frailty
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

16.6K

Frailty in multiple sclerosis: A scoping review

Nida' Al Worikat1, Farzan Molaei2, Anna Zanotto3

  • 1Department of Occupational Therapy Education, School of Health Professions, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Science, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.

Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders
|November 9, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Frailty is common in multiple sclerosis (MS), affecting 17-66% of patients and appearing earlier than in the general population. This review highlights frailty

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Gerontology
  • Rehabilitation Science

Background:

  • Frailty is an age-related condition increasingly recognized in neurological disorders.
  • Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease affecting young and middle-aged adults.
  • The impact of frailty on people with MS (pwMS) is an emerging area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct a scoping review on the prevalence, characteristics, and clinical outcomes of frailty in pwMS.
  • To synthesize current evidence on the association between MS clinical factors and frailty.
  • To identify the relationship between frailty and adverse outcomes in the MS population.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search across major databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, etc.) and clinical trial registries.
  • Inclusion of studies published between 2000 and 2024, with no language restrictions.
  • Screening and selection of 11 studies (10 original articles, 1 conference paper) meeting predefined criteria.

Main Results:

  • Frailty is highly prevalent in pwMS, with reported rates from 17% to 66% in ambulatory patients.
  • PwMS exhibit an earlier onset of frailty compared to the general population, with mean participant ages between 41.2 and 58.6 years.
  • Higher disability, longer disease duration, progressive MS, reduced walking performance, poor sleep, fatigue, lower quality of life, falls, increased healthcare utilization, and mortality are associated with frailty in MS.

Conclusions:

  • Frailty is a prevalent and significant clinical issue in the multiple sclerosis population.
  • Early identification and management of frailty are crucial for improving outcomes in pwMS.
  • Further research is warranted to fully understand and address frailty in MS.
Keywords:
AgingFrailtyMultiple sclerosisReview

More Related Videos

Comprehensive Autopsy Program for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis09:41

Comprehensive Autopsy Program for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis

Published on: July 19, 2019

11.4K
Author Spotlight: Assessing Surgical Frailty with Point-of-Care Ultrasound of Quadriceps Muscles04:00

Author Spotlight: Assessing Surgical Frailty with Point-of-Care Ultrasound of Quadriceps Muscles

Published on: July 26, 2024

461

Related Concept Videos

Factors Affecting Illness01:18

Factors Affecting Illness

When a person's physical, emotional, intellectual, social development or spiritual functioning is compromised, this deviation from a healthy normal state is called illness. Illness creates stress that in turn harms individuals. Irritation, anger, denial, hopelessness, and fear are behavioral and emotional changes an individual experiences in the phases of illness. A variety of factors influence a person's health and well-being.
For instance, risk factors are connected to illness, disability,...
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age01:27

Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age

Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
Multiple Sclerosis l: Introduction01:19

Multiple Sclerosis l: Introduction

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that affects the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. It is an inflammatory demyelinating disorder and a leading cause of neurological disability in young adults.EpidemiologyMS commonly begins between 20 and 40 years of age and is twice as common in women. Its exact cause remains unclear, but genetic susceptibility contributes, with higher risk in first-degree relatives and identical twins. A greater...
Myasthenia Gravis ll: Pathophysiology01:22

Myasthenia Gravis ll: Pathophysiology

The disease process of myasthenia gravis begins at the neuromuscular junction, where antibodies attack key proteins needed for muscle activation. This immune reaction weakens signal transmission, leading to the characteristic muscle fatigue and weakness that define the condition.Immune-Mediated DamageIn most individuals, antibodies target acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) on the postsynaptic membrane of muscle cells. By blocking acetylcholine binding, these antibodies prevent the nerve signal...