Frailty is a multifactorial geriatric syndrome characterized by an agerelated lack of adaptive physiological capacity occurring even in the absence of identifiable illness. Frailty typically signifies loss of muscle mass, decreased energy and exercise intolerance, and decreased physiological reserve, with increasing vulnerability to physiologic stressors. Studies generally use one of two definitions. The narrower definition is based solely on physical conditions such as weight loss, exhaustion, weakness, slowness, and low physical activity; the broader definition also includes mood, cognition, and incontinence. Overall prevalence of frailty in community-dwelling adults is 10%, but reports of prevalence range from 4% to 59% depending on the definition and measurement indexes used.

Screen your patients for the presence of three components identified in the Study for Osteoporotic Fractures and pursue related interventions: weight loss of more than 5% over 3 years, inability to do five chair stands, and self-reported exhaustion.

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