• Claudio Tana, Livia Moffa, Katia Falasca, Jacopo Vecchiet, Marco Tana, Cesare Mantini, Fabrizio Ricci, Andrea Ticinesi, Tiziana Meschi, Francesco Cipollone, and Maria Adele Giamberardino.
• Geriatrics Clinic, SS Annunziata Hospital of Chieti, Chieti, Italy.
• Ann. Med. 2023 Jan 1; 55 (2): 22652982265298.

AbstractBackground: COVID-19 continues to present challenges in the care of older adults with frailty and/or comorbidities and very old patients, who can be hospitalized with severe COVID-19 despite full vaccination. Frailty is a heterogeneous syndrome characterized by an increased aging-related vulnerability due to a reduced physiological reserve and function of systemic organs, and is associated with an impairment of activities of daily living. Frail older adults remain at elevated risk of mortality from COVID-19 compared to older adults without frailty, and some pre-existing risk factors such as malnutrition, prolonged bed rest, and the association with comorbidities can aggravate the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Furthermore, the severity of COVID-19 can impact on long-term functioning of older patients surviving from the infection. Persistent symptoms are another emerging problem of the post-vaccination phase of pandemic, as most patients suffer from chronic symptoms which can become debilitating and affect the daily routine. Aim of this review: In this complex relationship, the evaluation of COVID-19 in vulnerable categories is still a matter of high interest and personalized care plans based on a comprehensive geriatric assessment, tailored interventions; specific therapeutic algorithms among older adults are thus recommended in order to improve the outcomes.

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