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Theprevalence and incidence of frailty is variable, with percentages between
33-88%. The prevalence in Latin America is between 30-48% in women and 21-35%
in men. The prevalence in Mexico is 39%, more frequently in women than in men.
Fragility is a physiological syndrome characterized by reduced reserves and
reduced resistance to stressors as a result of the cumulative decline of
multiple physiological systems that increase vulnerability for adverse health
outcomes. Some authors distinguish primary frailty as that caused by multiple
physiological decline associated only with aging and secondary frailty that is
associated with diseases or even disability.
Older adults are vulnerable mainly
to chronic diseases, sensory medical alterations such as vision, hearing,
malnutrition, polypharmacy, cognitive deterioration, depression, dependence on
basic and instrumental activities of daily life, alteration in walking and
deficiency in social support; it is frequent that the older adult does not
express all his discomforts, due to shame or because of the type of attention
in the classic consultation, where the time for medical attention is
decreasing; all this makes it difficult to recognize diagnostics. Within the
syndrome of frailty one of the risks that exist are falls, which are cause of
increase in morbidity and mortality in older adults. The incidence of falls and
the severity of complications increases after the age of 60; in developed
countries, accidental falls are listed as the fifth cause of death in older
adults, after cardiovascular diseases, cancer, stroke and lung disorders.
Amongthe systems involved in the frailty syndrome is the cardiovascular,
neuroendocrine, metabolic, immune system and skeletal muscle system. There are
two physical changes associated with aging and may be the main cause of
frailty: sarcopenia and osteopenia. The loss of muscle mass and power is a
universal loss, occurs over the years, even in people who regularly perform
moderate physical exercise. The muscle mass decreases by 3-8% per decade from
the age of 30. This produces a progressive decrease in strength and contributes
to the disability and loss of independence of the elderly. Fragility and
sarcopenia overlap, most frail elderly people have sarcopenia and many of the
elderly with sarcopenia are fragile.