Frailty in elderly people

The number of elderly people is increasing worldwide, and their autonomy and wellbeing is important. By reaching the limit of the human lifespan, centenarians give valuable clues about mechanisms of successful ageing. The Japanese Centenarian Study 1 Ozaki A Uchiyama M Tgaya H Ohida T Ogihara R The Japanese Centenarian Study: autonomy was associated with health practices as well as physical status. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007; 55: 95-101 Crossref PubMed Scopus (56) Google Scholar recently identified nine factors related to being an autonomous 100-year-old (ie, having preserved activities of daily living, and good cognitive and social status)—good visual acuity; regular exercise; spontaneous awakening in the morning; preserved mastication; no history of drinking alcohol; no severe falls after age 95 years; frequent protein intake; living at home; and being male. Some opposite factors, especially a low level of exercise, a tendency to fall, and low protein intake, cluster in old-age frailty, and are composite factors that hinder successful ageing. Department of ErrorStrandberg TE, Pitkälä KH. Frailty in elderly people. Lancet 2007; 369: 1328–29—In this Comment (April 21), the figure should have shown an arrow pointing from primary frailty to disability. Full-Text PDF