TY - JOUR
T1 - Disability in older adults
T2 - Evidence regarding significance, etiology, and risk
AU - Fried, Linda P.
AU - Guralnik, Jack M.
PY - 1997/1
Y1 - 1997/1
N2 - OBJECTIVES: This article synthesizes and assesses current evidence about the importance of physical disability to older adults. It then considers the applications of research findings to clinical geriatrics practice. RESULTS: Physical disability is a major adverse health out come associated with aging. Certain subgroups of older adults, including individuals with mobility difficulty, with preclinical functional changes, and persons who are hospitalized, are at particularly high risk of becoming disabled or experiencing disability progression. The major underlying causes of physical disability are chronic diseases, including both acute events, such as hip fracture and stroke and slowly progressive diseases such as arthritis and heart disease. These diseases appear to have task specific effects; understanding this may assist in setting treatment and prevention goals. Comorbidity, particularly certain combinations of chronic diseases, is a strong risk factor for disability in itself. Recent trials indicate that clinical interventions may he able to prevent onset or progression of disability. CONCLUSIONS: Available evidence now suggests clinical approaches to both treatment and prevention of disability and directions for defining optimal clinical care for the future.
AB - OBJECTIVES: This article synthesizes and assesses current evidence about the importance of physical disability to older adults. It then considers the applications of research findings to clinical geriatrics practice. RESULTS: Physical disability is a major adverse health out come associated with aging. Certain subgroups of older adults, including individuals with mobility difficulty, with preclinical functional changes, and persons who are hospitalized, are at particularly high risk of becoming disabled or experiencing disability progression. The major underlying causes of physical disability are chronic diseases, including both acute events, such as hip fracture and stroke and slowly progressive diseases such as arthritis and heart disease. These diseases appear to have task specific effects; understanding this may assist in setting treatment and prevention goals. Comorbidity, particularly certain combinations of chronic diseases, is a strong risk factor for disability in itself. Recent trials indicate that clinical interventions may he able to prevent onset or progression of disability. CONCLUSIONS: Available evidence now suggests clinical approaches to both treatment and prevention of disability and directions for defining optimal clinical care for the future.
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U2 - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1997.tb00986.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1997.tb00986.x
M3 - Review article
C2 - 8994496
AN - SCOPUS:0031012270
SN - 0002-8614
VL - 45
SP - 92
EP - 100
JO - Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
JF - Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
IS - 1
ER -