Frailty syndrome

Note: There is a proposal to rename this category in frailty ( frailty ), which has not yet been implemented.

When frailty, even Frailty syndrome ( engl. = frailty, infirmity ' ), called the chronic age-related reduced capacity is called at reduced power state.

Definition and description

Frailty is not a disease but a complex syndrome that occurs associated with the age of a patient, but can be explained causally not only with age. Frailty is the result of the natural aging process, combined with diagnosable organ and malfunctions that result in the sum to increased diagnostic, nursing and therapeutic measures. If there is a patient at an advanced age three or more of the factors listed below, as one speaks of a Frailty syndrome:

Involuntary weight loss ( over 10 % in one year or more than 5 % in six months )
Objectified muscle weakness ( for example, by hand force measurement determined )
Subjective fatigue (mental, emotional, physical)
Immobility, instability, gait and unsteadiness with tendency to fall
Reduced physical activity (in terms of basal and / or instrumental activities of daily living )

If only two of these criteria are met, one speaks of the Prefrailty syndrome.

Directly associated with the frailty are sarcopenia ( muscle loss ), osteoporosis ( bone loss ), hypotonia (muscle weakness) and fatigue syndrome ( fatigue syndrome ). A consequence of the frailty, for example, an increased risk of femoral neck fractures ( " hip fracture " ) in elderly patients.

Frailty syndrome

Definition and description

Further Reading