Evaluation of Metabolic Syndrome, Frailty, Locomotive Syndrome, Balance and Physical Fitness in Elderly Individuals

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) or syndrome X, which is increasingly prevalent in the world and in our country, is a disease that includes abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, impaired glycemic control and hypertension components. It causes cardiovascular events such as myocardial hypertrophy, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, atrial dilatation and atrial fibrillation. Low levels of physical activity can be caused by a wide variety of factors including environmental and genetic factors, age, race, sarcopenia, poor eating habits, postmenopausal period and smoking history. Factors such as genetic differences, diet, physical activity, age, gender and eating habits are reported to affect the prevalence of (MetS) and its components. Frailty is also emerging as a major issue for the elderly due to its debilitating effects on health outcomes. Frailty is a geriatric syndrome characterized by a gradual decrease in homeostatic tolerance and physiological reserve following exposure to stressors. Frailty predisposes older people to falls, delirium, hospitalizations and even death and is therefore considered a crucial transition between healthy ageing and disability. As a result of aging, degenerative changes in the central and peripheral vestibular system have been found. With age, the ability to regulate movement is impaired as a result of insufficient information in any of the sensory receptors or any disorder affecting the processing of these messages. This directly affects balance and postural control, leading to an increased risk of falls. In the light of the results of the studies in the literature, degenerative changes are observed in many systems in geriatric individuals and while the incidence of metabolic syndrome in these individuals is high, the number of studies evaluating their effects is not sufficient. Based on these deficiencies, it is aimed to examine metabolic syndrome, frailty, locomotive syndrome, balance and physical fitness in elderly individuals.