This study estimated the prevalence of frailty and identified the factors associated with frailty in Taiwan using data from the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly. A nationwide probability sample including 2,238 individuals aged > or =65 years was interviewed in 2003. Based on the Cardiovascular Health Study conducted by Fried, five phenotypes of frailty were selected: poor appet...

Frailty, a clinical syndrome that typically occurs in older adults, implies a reduced ability to tolerate biological stressors. Frailty accompanies many age-related diseases but can also occur without overt evidence of end-organ disease. The condition is associated with circulating inflammatory cytokines and sarcopenia, features that are shared with heart failure (HF). However, the biological u...

Frailty is one of the greatest challenges for healthcare professionals. The level of frailty depends on several interrelated factors and can change over time while different interventions seem to be able to influence the level of frailty. Therefore, an outcome instrument to measure frailty with sound clinimetric properties is needed. A systematic review on evaluative measures of frailty was per...

BACKGROUND Frailty is not universal among older people but increases the risk of dependence. AIM To assess frailty among older people and its relationship with biological, psychological and social factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS Seven hundred fifty four older people aged 73 ± 6 years (61% females), attending a public primary care were assessed. Frailty was defined according to Fried criteria ...

BACKGROUND frailty, a multi-dimensional geriatric syndrome, confers a high risk for falls, disability, hospitalisation and mortality. The prevalence and correlates of frailty in the UK are unknown. METHODS frailty, defined by Fried, was examined among community-dwelling young-old (64-74 years) men (n = 320) and women (n = 318) who participated in the Hertfordshire Cohort Study, UK. RESULTS ...

BACKGROUND Average life expectancy is rising, resulting in increasing numbers of elderly, frail individuals presenting with coronary artery disease and requiring percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). PCI can be of value for this population, but little is known about the balance of benefit versus risk, particularly in the frail. OBJECTIVE To determine the relationship between frailty and c...

Frailty, multi-system dysregulation following multiple life stressors, is associated with age and vulnerability to negative health. Our model posits that variables such as age and sex affect biocultural changes resulting from lifestyle and alter frailty. We assessed frailty with a four-factor index. We expand understanding of frailty by examining associations with demographic, health, and lifes...

The medical syndrome of frailty is widely recognized, yet debate remains over how best to measure it in clinical and research settings. This study reviewed the frailty-related research literature by (a) comprehensively cataloging the wide array of instruments that have been utilized to measure frailty, and (b) systematically categorizing the different purposes and contexts of use for frailty in...

BACKGROUND There is no single generally accepted clinical definition of frailty. Previously developed tools to assess frailty that have been shown to be predictive of death or need for entry into an institutional facility have not gained acceptance among practising clinicians. We aimed to develop a tool that would be both predictive and easy to use. METHODS We developed the 7-point Clinical F...

SUSAN KAY RANSOM COLLINS: Associations between Frailty and Sex, and Frailty and Race in Hospitalized Chronic Heart Failure Patients: An Exploratory Study (Under the direction of Mary H. Palmer) Using a descriptive correlational design, a secondary analysis was conducted to explore frailty in hospitalized heart failure (HF) patients. This study examined differences in a) frailty and sex, b) frai...