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Sciacchitano S, Carola V, Nicolais G, Sciacchitano S, Napoli C, Mancini R, Rocco M, Coluzzi F. To Be Frail or Not to Be Frail: This Is the Question-A Critical Narrative Review of Frailty. J Clin Med 2024; 13:721. [PMID: 38337415 PMCID: PMC10856357 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13030721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Many factors have contributed to rendering frailty an emerging, relevant, and very popular concept. First, many pandemics that have affected humanity in history, including COVID-19, most recently, have had more severe effects on frail people compared to non-frail ones. Second, the increase in human life expectancy observed in many developed countries, including Italy has led to a rise in the percentage of the older population that is more likely to be frail, which is why frailty is much a more common concern among geriatricians compared to other the various health-care professionals. Third, the stratification of people according to the occurrence and the degree of frailty allows healthcare decision makers to adequately plan for the allocation of available human professional and economic resources. Since frailty is considered to be fully preventable, there are relevant consequences in terms of potential benefits both in terms of the clinical outcome and healthcare costs. Frailty is becoming a popular, pervasive, and almost omnipresent concept in many different contexts, including clinical medicine, physical health, lifestyle behavior, mental health, health policy, and socio-economic planning sciences. The emergence of the new "science of frailty" has been recently acknowledged. However, there is still debate on the exact definition of frailty, the pathogenic mechanisms involved, the most appropriate method to assess frailty, and consequently, who should be considered frail. This narrative review aims to analyze frailty from many different aspects and points of view, with a special focus on the proposed pathogenic mechanisms, the various factors that have been considered in the assessment of frailty, and the emerging role of biomarkers in the early recognition of frailty, particularly on the role of mitochondria. According to the extensive literature on this topic, it is clear that frailty is a very complex syndrome, involving many different domains and affecting multiple physiological systems. Therefore, its management should be directed towards a comprehensive and multifaceted holistic approach and a personalized intervention strategy to slow down its progression or even to completely reverse the course of this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Sciacchitano
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy;
- Unit of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Sant’Andrea University Hospital, 00189 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (F.C.)
- Department of Life Sciences, Health and Health Professions, Link Campus University, 00165 Rome, Italy
| | - Valeria Carola
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy; (V.C.); (G.N.)
| | - Giampaolo Nicolais
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy; (V.C.); (G.N.)
| | - Simona Sciacchitano
- Department of Psychiatry, La Princesa University Hospital, 28006 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Christian Napoli
- Department of Surgical and Medical Science and Translational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy;
| | - Rita Mancini
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy;
| | - Monica Rocco
- Unit of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Sant’Andrea University Hospital, 00189 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (F.C.)
- Department of Surgical and Medical Science and Translational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy;
| | - Flaminia Coluzzi
- Unit of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Sant’Andrea University Hospital, 00189 Rome, Italy; (M.R.); (F.C.)
- Department Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Polo Pontino, 04100 Latina, Italy
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