Fotios Barkas: Exploring The Bidirectional Relationship Between Frailty and Stroke
Fotios Barkas, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine University of Ioannina, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article he and his colleagues co-authored, adding:
”Pleased to share our latest narrative review in Journal of Atherosclerosis Prevention and Treatment, where we explore the bidirectional relationship between frailty and stroke, highlighting why frailty should be systematically integrated into stroke care.
Key insights:
- Prevalence: ≥20%
- Prognosis: Prestroke frailty independently predicts higher mortality, lower functional recovery, and poorer quality of life
- Shared mechanisms: Chronic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, sarcopenia, and accelerated brain aging
- Assessment tools: Fried Phenotype, Clinical Frailty Scale, and frailty indices – all clinically useful, yet heterogeneous
- Bidirectional dynamics: Stroke accelerates frailty progression, while frailty limits recovery potential
- Interventions: Multicomponent exercise programs show promising benefits in RCTs
Take-home message:
Frailty is a modifiable and measurable risk domain that should be routinely assessed and actively managed in stroke patients.
Moving forward, we need:
- Standardized frailty assessment in stroke pathways
- Frailty-tailored therapeutic strategies
- Integration into clinical decision-making”
Title: Frailty and Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Elderly: A Comprehensive Narrative Review
Authors: Konstantina Kyrili, Valentini Samanidou, Matilda Florentin, Dimitrios Chatzistefanidis, Roberto Scicali, Alexandr Ceasovschih, Vanessa Bianconi, Haralampos Milionis, Fotios Barkas
Read the Full Article on Journal of Atherosclerosis Prevention and Treatment

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