Frailty
Definition
Frailty is a state of increased vulnerability in which the body's ability to recover from stressors is reduced. In ageing research and clinical geriatrics, frailty is often used to describe reduced physiological reserve across multiple systems, making a person more susceptible to adverse outcomes such as falls, disability, hospitalisation, institutionalisation, and death. [1] [2] [3]
Why It Matters in Ageing Research
Frailty matters because chronological age alone does not fully explain how resilient or vulnerable an older person is. Researchers use frailty measures to study biological ageing, predict health risks, stratify participants in clinical trials, and evaluate whether interventions improve healthspan or functional resilience. Frailty can be assessed in different ways, including physical phenotype models, deficit-accumulation indices, and clinical judgement-based scales. [1] [2] [4] [5]
Common Confusion
- Frailty is not the same thing as simply being old.
- A person can have chronic diseases without necessarily being frail, and frailty can occur with or without specific diagnoses.
- Frailty is not measured by one universal test; different tools capture different aspects of vulnerability.
Related Reading
References
- Fried, L. P., et al. (2001). Frailty in older adults: Evidence for a phenotype. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11253156/
- Rockwood, K., et al. (2005). A global clinical measure of fitness and frailty in elderly people. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16129869/
- Clegg, A., et al. (2013). Frailty in elderly people. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23395245/
- Searle, S. D., et al. (2008). A standard procedure for creating a frailty index. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2573877/
- Hubbard, R. E., et al. (2015). Frailty in the face of COVID-19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26018884/
This glossary entry is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.