Linking Chronic Disease Burden, Multimorbidity, and Frailty in Geriatric Medicine

Geriatric medicine has become an increasingly important field as world experiences a rapid demographic shift toward older populations. Older adults are facing a mounting burden of chronic diseases—such as cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and respiratory illnesses—that often occur together in complex patterns of multimorbidity. These conditions not only increase healthcare utilization and mortality risk but also accelerate functional decline and frailty, leading to loss of independence and reduced quality of life. Research has also highlighted the central role of frailty, a multidimensional syndrome characterized by decreased physiological reserve. Despite advances in clinical care and preventive strategies, current models often fail to adequately address the intersecting challenges of chronic disease, multimorbidity, and frailty, reinforcing the need for integrative and multidimensional approaches. Moreover, there is a growing call for more personalized, preventive, and community-based models, as well as increased efforts to harness multidisciplinary research and technological innovations to reshape care for older adults globally.

This Research Topic aims to deepen knowledge of the complex challenges that aging populations face due to chronic disease burden, multimorbidity, and frailty. It seeks to foster cross-disciplinary research that addresses the mechanisms, determinants, and outcomes associated with these interconnected issues, identifies gaps in existing care models, and evaluates novel interventions that enhance the resilience, functional capacity, and quality of life in older adults. By integrating perspectives from geriatrics, internal medicine, nutrition, rehabilitation, public health, and other disciplines, this Research Topic will promote innovative strategies for the prevention, diagnosis, and management of multimorbidity and frailty, ultimately supporting healthy aging and longevity.

This Research Topic centers on the interplay between chronic disease burden, multimorbidity, and frailty in older adults, with a focus on both prevention and management. We are particularly interested in studies exploring mechanisms, assessment tools, and interventions, as well as the broader epidemiological and social determinants of aging. To gather further insights into this domain, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

o Epidemiology and biological mechanisms of multimorbidity and frailty
o Innovative approaches to chronic disease management in older adults
o Assessment tools for frailty, functional capacity, and comorbidity
o Polypharmacy, medication optimization, and mitigation of adverse drug effects
o Nutritional interventions and maintenance of functional health
o Pathophysiology and biomarkers of frailty, multimorbidity, and chronic disease in older adults
o Preventive strategies and interventions to delay or mitigate frailty
o Models of coordinated, integrated, or community-based geriatric care
o Social, environmental, and health policy determinants of geriatric health and resilience
o Population-based studies, interventional trials, and health services research

Keywords: Aging, Chronic Disease, Comorbidity, Frailty, Burden

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.