Interventions targeting geriatric frailty: A systemic review

Geriatric frailty has drawn growing interest in recent years for its associations with multiple adverse outcomes. Previous studies showed that interventions may improve some aspects of frailty such as physical function. However, interventions targeting the entire frailty construct have not been systemically reviewed. We conducted a comprehensive search for randomized controlled trials targeting geriatric frailty. Only trials that measured outcomes based on their predefined frailty indicators were included. Of 98 articles, 11 met the inclusion criteria. Eight studies were classified as high quality. Of the six exercise-based interventions, five showed significant improvements on at least two of their frailty indicators. Hormone replacement therapy was not effective. Two of the three multifactorial interventions have not published their results, and the third did not show significant improvements. More studies with standardized definitions and measurements of frailty are needed to determine the effectiveness of interventions on geriatric frailty. Copyright (C) 2012, Asia Pacific League of Clinical Gerontology & Geriatrics. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.