SynthesisThe Gerontologist2021
A Systematic Review of Frailty Trajectories: Their Shape and Influencing Factors.
Synthesis in The Gerontologist, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 88 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
88 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence, trajectories, and clinical outcomes for frailty in COPD.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Comprehensive geriatric assessment delivered by advanced nursing practitioners within primary care setting: a mixed-methods pilot feasibility randomised controlled trial.BMC geriatrics · 2023Trial
- Association between metal co-exposure and frailty: exploring the potential explanatory pathway of inflammation.Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine · 2026Article
- Article
- How human and animal frailty index studies can inform each other: a brief narrative review.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2026Review
- Frailty in Parkinson's disease: time to integrate it into treatment decision-making?Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2026Review
- Comparing frailty index distribution, mortality and frailty dynamics across multiple countries: applying the 'zero-state' principle to harmonised ageing data.Age and ageing · 2026Article
- Association Between Health Literacy and Frailty in Older Adults: A Study in Two Brazilian Municipalities.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Five Factors of Frailty: A Multidimensional Psychometrically Robust Research Tool.Research square · 2026Article
- Exploring Associations Between Social Risk Factors and Physical Frailty in Heart Failure: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.Journal of cardiac failure - intersections · 2026Article
- Joint Trajectories of Frailty and Cognitive Function in Older Koreans Based on 14-Year Period Data From Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA).Geriatrics & gerontology international · 2026Article
- Longitudinal norms of frailty measured by the frailty index: A cross-national comparison using data from the survey of health, aging, and retirement in Europe (SHARE).The Journal of frailty & aging · 2026Observational
- Identifying frailty trajectories in older patients with acute myocardial infarction using structural entropy clustering: a prospective cohort study.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Social support and hospitalization in the elderly: investigating the role of frailty trajectories.European journal of public health · 2026Article
- Regional and Socioeconomic Disparities in Frailty Across Tasmania: Evidence From Island Study Linking Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease.Australasian journal on ageing · 2026Article
- Comparing the Relationship Between Social Determinants of Health and Frailty Status of Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural and Urban Areas in the United States.Journal of ageing and longevity · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Outcomes of Frailty in Older Men-the Manitoba Follow-Up Study.Canadian geriatrics journal : CGJ · 2026Article
- Frailty Trajectories and Their Predictors in Chinese Empty-Nest Older Adults: An 8-Year Longitudinal Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Association between sleep duration from midlife and the risk of physical frailty in late life.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Role of Posterior Occlusal Support in the Development of Frailty Among Japanese Adults: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.Geriatrics & gerontology international · 2026Article
28 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesFrailty describes an increased vulnerability to adverse events such as disease or injury. Combating this state remains a major challenge for geriatric research. By exploring how and why frailty changes throughout later life we will be better positioned to improve ways of identifying and treating those at high risk. RESEARCH DESIGN AND
methodsWe systematically reviewed publications that captured rate of frailty progression over time and established any associated risk or protective factors that affected this progression. We included longitudinal observational studies which quantified frailty trajectories in adults aged 50+ using any validated continuous frailty measurement tool.
resultsAfter screening 8,318 publications, 25 met our criteria. Findings show that despite a great degree of heterogeneity in the literature, progression of frailty is unquestionably affected by numerous risk and protective factors, with particular influence exhibited by social demographics, brain pathology, and physical comorbidities. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Findings that the gradient of frailty progression is affected by various influencing factors are valuable to clinicians and policymakers as they will help identify those at highest frailty risk and inform prevention strategies. However, the heterogeneous methodological approaches of the publications included in this review highlight the need for consensus within the field to promote more coordinated research. Improved consistency of methods will enable further data synthesis and facilitate a greater understanding of the shape of frailty over time and the influencing factors contributing to change, the results of which could have crucial implications for frailty risk reduction.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.