[Locomotive syndrome and frailty. Frail elderly].

Frailty is a concept born in the mid 1980s, toward which a disease-oriented approach has turned to functional assessment. The domain of frailty contains the weakness of muscle strength, mental problems and social solitude. Fall is a good clinical indicator for the weakness of muscle strength as well as neuro-mental problems. Two topics in this review are; (1) Sex difference of hip fracture in relation with the sex difference of fall risks. Especially I will focus on the postural changes with osteoporosis as risks for falls. (2) Multiple geriatric conditions and brain white matter lesion. These conditions include falls, tripping, urinary frequency, urinary incontinence, body weight loss and swallowing disturbance, which are frequently observed in frail elderly persons.