老年人的衰弱症與胸腔疾病

在老年人口當中，衰弱症已被視為一種老化相關的症候群，相關症狀包括肌肉萎縮9sarcopenia）、無力（weakness）、耐力變差（poor endurance）、疲憊（fatigue）、行動緩慢（slowness）以及較低的活動程度（lower level physical activity）。衰弱症候群與胸疾病的研究方向可從老年人不同氣喘類型的相關研究、氣喘與衰弱症彼此間的關係與發炎反應在其中扮演的角色、到肺功能（lung function）與活動表現（physical performance）相關性的研究、睡眠呼吸障礙與衰弱症的發展與惡化機制之探討、到流感疫苗注射在不同衰弱程度老人的免疫抗體反應與之後務防肺炎的效果為何，以及病毒感染、肺炎與慢性發炎在衰弱症機制上扮演何種角色，這些方面去探討。除了篩選出衰弱老人的方法，進而了解其機制，以發展預防衰弱症的措施，此領域的研究複雜具多樣性，仍須持續進行不同系統與衰弱症的相關研究。

Frailty is a state of age-related physiologic vulnerability resulting from impaired homeostatic reserve and a reduced capacity to withstand stress. It is a geriatric syndrome related to sarcopenia, weakness, poor endurance, fatigue, slowness, and physical inactivity. The research aims of frailty and chest diseases are to study the relationship between the different types of asthma in the elderly and frailty, the role of acute or chronic inflammation, the correlation of lung function and physical performance in frailty, sleep-disordered breathing and frailty, and influenza vaccination in the elderly to prevent frailty. In addition to screen the older people who would be prefrail or frail, it is important to realize the pathophysiology of frailty and to develop the intervention for prevention of functional decline. The research in frailty is complicated with diversity of the co-morbidities, however, the study of the pathway of frailty in the different systems is important and on-going.