Pharmacotherapy and the frailty syndrome

Abstract

As outlined in chapter Heterogeneity and Vulnerability of Older Patients, the frailty syndrome is a major feature to categorize elderly persons according to their vulnerability, prognosis, and risk-benefit ratio under the particular aspect of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Therefore, it also serves as one of the most important patient characteristics to guide differential pharmacotherapy in the elderly. The frailty syndrome describes a frequent phenotype at advanced age and refers to pathophysiologic cascades attributable to the aging process. Frailty identifies elderly persons with both reduced resources and altered body composition, factors most significant for changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.