Moving beyond chronological age: frailty as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease
Ariela R. Orkaby
Abstract
This editorial refers to ‘Frailty and cardiovascular outcomes in the National Health and Aging Trends Study’, by A. A. Damluji et al., doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehab468. Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. Psalms 71:9 A baby born today has an estimated life span of >100 years,1 and for the first time in history, adults aged 80 and older comprise the fastest growing segment of the population. This is attributed to advances in epidemiology and global health which have led to the effective treatment of many communicable diseases and the identification and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors that led to significant reductions in incident events and improved survival.2 The greatest challenge to the health and wellness of the modern older adult population remains non-communicable diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death and disability in the...