Pediatric Infectious Diseases: Open Access

Frailty in Children with Liver Disease

Until the composite measure of frailty was developed, a full health assessment of persons with chronic disease was subjective and unreliable. In 2001, Fried et al. established the frailty phenotype, which includes cumulative decreases across several physiologic systems that lead to vulnerability to negative outcomes. There are five characteristics that make up frailty: weakness, sluggishness, shrinking, tiredness, and decreased physical activity. Frailty is a more potent predictor of functional status impairments, falls, and death in the aged than age or comorbidities when measured reliably and reproducibly in adults. Despite the existence of additional frailty instruments, such as the Frailty Index, the Fried Frailty Criteria are still the most extensively utilised in clinical settings due to their robustness and practicality.

Jeffrey Guo