High Prevalence of Frailty, Multimorbidity, and Disability in Parkinson's Disease Patients

Strategic Insights -

Individuals with Parkinson's disease often experience a decline in their physiological reserve, leading to frailty, multimorbidity, and disability. A recent study published in The Journal of Frailty & Aging aimed to investigate the interrelationship between these conditions in a representative sample of people with parkinsonism. The research found that almost all patients living with frailty were additionally living with disability and/or multimorbidity. The study suggests that there may be opportunities to intervene to stop or slow the trajectory towards disability, emphasizing the need for a structured approach to healthcare services for people with parkinsonism.

Key Takeaways:

  • The prevalence of Parkinson's disease increases with age, leading to co-occurrence of frailty, multimorbidity, and disability in patients.
  • Almost all patients living with frailty were additionally living with disability and/or multimorbidity in the study.
  • The study found that it was uncommon to have multimorbidity and frailty without disability, indicating a high level of co-occurrence between these conditions.
  • The research identified three clusters of co-occurrence among patients: frailty and disability, multimorbidity and frailty, and paralysis of morbidity.
  • The study concluded that there may be opportunities to intervene to stop or slow the trajectory towards disability, highlighting the need for healthcare services to be structured around the needs of people with parkinsonism.
  • Emma Tenison, Ageing and Movement Research Group, was involved in the research and provided additional information.
  • Yoav Ben-Shlomo, Anahita Nodehi, and Emily J. Henderson were additional authors on the study.

Statistics:

  • 78 (16.8%) of patients were categorized as neither frail nor multimorbid nor disabled.
  • Only 6 (1.3%) patients had frailty without probable sarcopenia.
  • Almost all patients living with frailty were also living with disability and/or multimorbidity.
  • 100073 (S2) - no data
  • 5109 (S9) - no data

Sources:

  • "The interrelationship of frailty, multimorbidity and disability in Parkinson's disease: PRIME-UK cross-sectional study." The Journal of Frailty & Aging, 2025;14(6):100073.
  • NewsRx. "Research Data from University of Bristol Update Understanding of Muscular Atrophy (The interrelationship of frailty, multimorbidity and disability in Parkinson's disease: PRIME-UK cross-sectional study)." Health & Medicine Week, October 24, 2025; p 5109.