Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences Large Type Edition
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rockwood, K.
Right arrow Articles by Mitnitski, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Rockwood, K.
Right arrow Articles by Mitnitski, A.
The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 62:722-727 (2007)
© 2007 The Gerontological Society of America

SPECIAL SECTION

Frailty in Relation to the Accumulation of Deficits

Kenneth Rockwood and Arnold Mitnitski

1 Division of Geriatric Medicine,2 Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Address correspondence to Kenneth Rockwood, MD, Centre for Health Care of the Elderly, 1421-5955 Veterans' Memorial Lane, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3H 2E1. E-mail: Kenneth.Rockwood{at}Dal.ca

This review article summarizes how frailty can be considered in relation to deficit accumulation. Recalling that frailty is an age-associated, nonspecific vulnerability, we consider symptoms, signs, diseases, and disabilities as deficits, which are combined in a frailty index. An individual's frailty index score reflects the proportion of potential deficits present in that person, and indicates the likelihood that frailty is present. Although based on a simple count, the frailty index shows several interesting properties, including a characteristic rate of accumulation, a submaximal limit, and characteristic changes with age in its distribution. The frailty index, as a state variable, is able to quantitatively summarize vulnerability. Future studies include the application of network analyses and stochastic analytical techniques to the evaluation of the frailty index and the description of other state variables in relation to frailty.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 BMJHome page
L. Flicker
Should geriatric medicine remain a specialty? Yes
BMJ, June 30, 2008; 337(jun30_1): a516 - a516.
[Full Text]

Home page
 J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci.Home page
M. E. Cress, G. Mueller, and S. Orini
RESPONSE TO SPECIAL MEDICAL SCIENCES SECTION ON UNCONVENTIONAL VIEWS OF FRAILTY
J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., May 1, 2008; 63(5): 542 - 542.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci.Home page
K. Rockwood, M. Andrew, and A. Mitnitski
A Comparison of Two Approaches to Measuring Frailty in Elderly People
J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., July 1, 2007; 62(7): 738 - 743.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
All GSA journals The Gerontologist
Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
Copyright © 2007 by The Gerontological Society of America.