Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Prefrailty in Elderly Adults: Differences According to Degree of Urbanization.

To the Editor: The early identification of individuals at risk of frailty is growing in importance because it may provide insights into the mechanisms involved in physical age-related decline and may help prevent the onset of disabilities and mortality.[1] Individuals with the intermediate prefrailty status have a greater risk of becoming frail.[2] Because frailty has been associated with risk of multiple adverse outcomes,[3-5] and prefrailty status seems to be partially reversible and an optimal target for interventions,[6-8] it is crucial to identify individuals who are at risk of frailty (prefrailty) to develop early and effective preventive interventions to reduce or manage the risks associated with this condition. Populations in different geographic areas could experience different levels of frailty because of cultural or political distinctions.[9] In this context, determining prefrailty prevalence rates as a function of degree of urbanization is of particular interest because there may be considerable differences in socioeconomic status, demographic characteristics, and health care. The prevalence and clinical characteristics of prefrailty were explored in community-dwelling elderly adults living in densely versus nondensely populated areas.