Frailty in cardiovascular disease: Screening tools

Publication date: February 2019Source: Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia (English Edition), Volume 38, Issue 2Author(s): Ana Zão, Sandra Magalhães, Mário SantosAbstractCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in developed countries and disproportionately affects older adults. Frailty is a complex clinical syndrome with multiple causes and contributing factors in which there is increased vulnerability when exposed to a minor stressor and increased risk for adverse outcomes, such as disability, hospitalization and mortality. Frailty is an important prognostic factor in patients with CVD, and so identifying this feature when assessing these patients may help to individually tailor cardiovascular treatment. The first step is to identify frailty. Several tools have been validated as screening methods for frailty. However, they diverge with regard to complexity, nature, feasibility and the outcome they can predict. The aim of this review is to describe the available screening tools for frailty and to examine their usefulness in patients with CVD.ResumoAs doenças cardiovasculares (DCV) constituem a principal causa de morte nos países desenvolvidos e afetam desproporcionalmente os indivíduos idosos. A fragilidade é definida como uma síndrome clínica complexa com múltiplos fatores predisponentes e caraterizada por um aumento da vulnerabilidade e maior risco de desfechos adversos, nomeadamente, incapacidade, institucionalização e/ou mortalidade. Parece ser...
Source: Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research