Prevalence of frailty syndrome in Brazil: a systematic review

Abstract

Abstract Background The population is aging rapidly, which leads to an increased prevalence of frailty syndrome. A large number of investigations on the subject have been conducted in Brazil, but no systematic review of prevalence studies involving the Brazilian population has been carried out considering the characteristics of the sample and the evaluation methods used. Objective To develop a systematic review of studies that assess the prevalence of frailty syndrome in Brazil, analyzing the clinical and demographic characteristics of the samples and the methods used for the diagnosis of the syndrome. Method The searches were carried out in the PubMed, SciELO and Web of Science databases using the following keywords: (prevalence or epidemiology) and frailty and Brazil. Results Forty-seven articles met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. The prevalence of frailty ranged from 3.85% to 74.1%, depending on the assessment instrument used, context, region and population studied. Conclusion The prevalence data are discrepant, and the standardization of screening methods for the frailty syndrome could facilitate the comparison between studies, in order to maximize and create intervention strategies, especially in a country with cultural diversity and regional disparities, such as Brazil