Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan 28;22(2):179.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph22020179.

Atrial Fibrillation as a Geriatric Syndrome: Why Are Frailty and Disability Often Confused? A Geriatric Perspective from the New Guidelines

Crescenzo Testa  1   2 , Marco Salvi  1   2 , Irene Zucchini  1   2 , Chiara Cattabiani  1 , Francesco Giallauria  3 , Laura Petraglia  3 , Dario Leosco  3 , Fulvio Lauretani  1   2 , Marcello Maggio  1   2
Affiliations

Atrial Fibrillation as a Geriatric Syndrome: Why Are Frailty and Disability Often Confused? A Geriatric Perspective from the New Guidelines

Crescenzo Testa et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Atrial Fibrillation can be considered a geriatric syndrome for its prevalence and incidence, its impact on patients' quality of life, and Health Systems' economy. The European Society of Cardiology 2024 guidelines introduce a recommendation for maintaining vitamin K antagonist therapy over switching to direct oral anticoagulants in clinically stable elderly patients with atrial fibrillation. This article explores the implications of this indication for the geriatric clinical context. The focus will also be devoted to the need for the stratification of older patients with atrial fibrillation, making an appropriate distinction between frailty and disability.

Keywords: atrial fibrillation; concepts discrepancy; disability; frailty; older persons.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Metaphorical Picture of Fitness, Frailty, and Disability.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Inouye S.K., Studenski S., Tinetti M.E., Kuchel G.A. Geriatric syndromes: Clinical, research, and policy implications of a core geriatric concept. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 2007;55:780–791. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01156.x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Maher R.L., Hanlon J., Hajjar E.R. Clinical consequences of polypharmacy in elderly. Expert. Opin. Drug. Saf. 2014;13:57–65. doi: 10.1517/14740338.2013.827660. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fried L.P., Ferrucci L., Darer J., Williamson J.D., Anderson G. Untangling the concepts of disability, frailty, and comorbidity: Implications for improved targeting and care. J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 2004;59:255–263. doi: 10.1093/gerona/59.3.M255. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Tinetti M.E., Kumar C. The patient who falls: “It’s always a trade-off”. JAMA. 2010;303:258–266. doi: 10.1001/jama.2009.2024. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cheng S., He J., Han Y., Han S., Li P., Liao H., Guo J. Global burden of atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter and its attributable risk factors from 1990 to 2021. Europace. 2024;26:euae195. doi: 10.1093/europace/euae195. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources