Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2025
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
16.2K
Frailty reversal and its main determinants: a population-based observational and longitudinal study.
Mateu Serra-Prat1,2, Aida Fortuny Borsot3, Emili Burdoy4
1Research Unit, Consorci Sanitari del Maresme, Mataró, Catalonia, Spain mserra@csdm.cat.
Family Medicine and Community Health
|April 28, 2025
Summary
Frailty and prefrailty are reversible in older adults, with annual reversal rates of 7.1% and 4.6%. However, multimorbidity and polypharmacy hinder recovery, highlighting the need for interventions targeting hospitalizations and falls.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Clinical guidelines advocate for frailty screening in older adults due to its potential reversibility.
- Limited data exists on frailty and prefrailty reversal rates in the general population without specific interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine real-world frailty and prefrailty reversal rates in individuals aged 65 years and older.
- To identify key clinical conditions and risk factors associated with frailty and prefrailty reversal.
Main Methods:
- An observational, longitudinal 12-month study conducted in Catalonia, analyzing data from 1.5 million individuals aged 65+.
- Frailty status was assessed using the electronic Screening Index for Frailty (e-SIF) on December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2019.
- Retrospective data collection from health databases via the PADRIS V.2022 program.
Main Results:
- The study included 1,465,312 individuals (mean age 75.8 years, 57.0% women).
- Annual frailty and prefrailty reversal rates were 7.1% and 4.6%, respectively, higher in men and decreasing with age.
- Key factors for frailty reversal included avoiding unplanned hospitalizations, polypharmacy, orthostatic hypotension, syncope, anemia, and visual impairment. Female sex, younger age, independence, fewer comorbidities, and less polypharmacy were protective.
Conclusions:
- Prefrailty and frailty demonstrate reversibility, though outcomes are poorer with multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and functional dependency in older, severely frail individuals.
- Interventions focused on preventing unplanned hospitalizations, polypharmacy, and falls are crucial for improving frailty and prefrailty reversal rates.
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