Clin Geriatr Med 24 (2008) 455–469Diabetes, Sarcopenia, and Frailty

Persons who have diabetes mellitus tend to have an accelerated aging process [1,2] that places them at greater risk for developing frailty at an ear-lier age [3–10]. Frailty can be defined simply as a condition in which an older person is coping just above the disability threshold, but any stressor (either physical or psychologic) is liable to cause the person to become disabled or need intensive long-term physical therapy to allow recovery to the pre-dis-ability state [6]. Rockwood and colleagues [11–13] have stressed that frailty really is the sum total of the number of illnesses a person has resulting in a physical decline. An objective definition of frailty created by Fried and her colleagues [14] has been validated and includes five components: Unintentional weight loss (10 pounds within the last year) Self-reported exhaustion Weakness (grip strength) Slow walking spee