Mapping the final journey: End-of-life frailty trajectories and cause of death

Mapping the final journey: End-of-life frailty trajectories and cause of death
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; by Jianhong Xu, Jonathan Ka-Long Mak, Qian-Li Xue, Chenkai Wu; 6/25
Frailty trajectories at the end of life varied by cause of death, with neurodegenerative disease decedents exhibiting more severe frailty. Among 37,465 decedents, 2,895 (7.7%) died from neurodegenerative diseases [and] three distinct frailty trajectories were identified among these decedents: rapidly progressive frailty (6.9%), moderate progression of frailty (21.1%), and advanced and stable frailty (72.0%). These patterns differed significantly from those observed in decedents with other causes of death, who exhibited persistently low frailty (24.7%), intermediate and progressive frailty (46.5%), and advanced and progressive frailty (28.8%). Older age, lower education, and greater chronic disease burden were associated with the advanced and progressive frailty trajectory.