Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia in Frailty: Moving Forward

Abstract

Often considered to be a pre-disability condition, frailty is gaining rapid consensus among clinicians and caretakers alike. This in turn, has called for a unified consensus defining frailty among the medical community that can be used by health professionals. Traditionally, geriatric medicine was considered to be the sole medical branch responsible for defining, treating and managing frailty. However, due to the changing demographics of elderly population and recent research defining multitude of factors responsible for frailty, only a single branch of medicine cannot be held responsible for management of such condition. Since frailty is not an organ specific disability and cannot be bound to a single idea, it should be approached in a multi- disciplinary manner. However, most clinicians and caretakers admit to osteoporosis and sarcopenia being a major contributor to frailty. Osteoporosis and sarcopenia among the elderly is a widely varied subject with an even wider etiology. Combining the idea of osteoporosisand sarcopenia with frailty has gained much traction in recent years.