Recent developments in frailty identification, management, risk factors and prevention: A narrative review of leading journals in geriatrics and gerontology

Elsa Dent; Peter Hanlon; Marc Sim; Juulia Jylhävä; Zuyun Liu; Davide L Vetrano; Erwin Stolz; Mario Ulises Pérez-Zepeda; Daniel R Crabtree; Caroline Nicholson; Jenny Job; Rachel C Ambagtsheer; Paul R Ward; Sandra M Shi; Quan Huynh; Emiel O Hoogendijk; EPI-FRAIL consortium

doi:10.1016/j.arr.2023.102082

Recent developments in frailty identification, management, risk factors and prevention: A narrative review of leading journals in geriatrics and gerontology

Ageing Res Rev. 2023 Nov:91:102082. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.102082. Epub 2023 Oct 4.

Authors

Elsa Dent¹, Peter Hanlon², Marc Sim³, Juulia Jylhävä⁴, Zuyun Liu⁵, Davide L Vetrano⁶, Erwin Stolz⁷, Mario Ulises Pérez-Zepeda⁸, Daniel R Crabtree⁹, Caroline Nicholson¹⁰, Jenny Job¹⁰, Rachel C Ambagtsheer¹, Paul R Ward¹, Sandra M Shi¹¹, Quan Huynh¹², Emiel O Hoogendijk¹³; EPI-FRAIL consortium

Affiliations

¹ Research Centre for Public Health, Equity and Human Flourishing, Torrens University Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
² School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
³ Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute, School of Health and Medical Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
⁴ Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Faculty of Social Sciences, Unit of Health Sciences and Gerontology Research Center, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
⁵ Second Affiliated Hospital and School of Public Health, The Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China.
⁶ Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Stockholm Gerontology Research Center, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁷ Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
⁸ Instituto Nacional de Geriatría, Dirección de Investigación, ciudad de México, Mexico; Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud (CICSA), FCS, Universidad Anáhuac México Campus Norte, Huixquilucan Edo. de México.
⁹ Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK.
¹⁰ Centre for Health System Reform & Integration, Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
¹¹ Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging, Hebrew Senior Life, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
¹² Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
¹³ Department of Epidemiology & Data Science and Department of General Practice, Amsterdam UMC, Location VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Ageing & Later Life Research Program, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Electronic address: e.hoogendijk@amsterdamumc.nl.

PMID: 37797723
DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.102082

Abstract

Frailty is an age-related clinical condition characterised by an increased susceptibility to stressors and an elevated risk of adverse outcomes such as mortality. In the light of global population ageing, the prevalence of frailty is expected to soar in coming decades. This narrative review provides critical insights into recent developments and emerging practices in frailty research regarding identification, management, risk factors, and prevention. We searched journals in the top two quartiles of geriatrics and gerontology (from Clarivate Journal Citation Reports) for articles published between 01 January 2018 and 20 December 2022. Several recent developments were identified, including new biomarkers and biomarker panels for frailty screening and diagnosis, using artificial intelligence to identify frailty, and investigating the altered response to medications by older adults with frailty. Other areas with novel developments included exercise (including technology-based exercise), multidimensional interventions, person-centred and integrated care, assistive technologies, analysis of frailty transitions, risk-factors, clinical guidelines, COVID-19, and potential future treatments. This review identified a strong need for the implementation and evaluation of cost-effective, community-based interventions to manage and prevent frailty. Our findings highlight the need to better identify and support older adults with frailty and involve those with frailty in shared decision-making regarding their care.

Keywords: Aged; Biomarkers; Frailty; Geriatric Assessment; Risk Factors.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Artificial Intelligence
Frail Elderly
Frailty* / diagnosis
Frailty* / prevention & control
Geriatric Assessment
Geriatrics*
Humans
Periodicals as Topic*
Risk Management

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding