01850nas a2200385   4500000000100000008004100001260003600042653001900078653001500097653002500112653002600137653001900163653001200182653001200194653001600206653001700222653001000239653001500249653001900264653001500283653001700298653001200315100001400327700001500341700001800356700001300374700001600387700001200403245013900415856004500554300001000599490000600609520083500615022001401450       2026                            d  c08/2026bJMIR Publications Inc.10adigital health10aSmartphone10amobility assessment 10adigital public health10afrailty models10asensors10aMhealth10aGerontology10aOlder adults10aAging10aMonitoring10amotor function10aTechnology10ahealth tools10aleprosy1 aGloria LM1 aBarreto JG1 aOliveira JSDS1 aMatos AP1 aCallegari B1 aSouza G00aWhy Frailty Should Be Assessed in Older Adults Affected by Leprosy and How the Use of Smartphones Could Enhance This Health Monitoring  uhttps://aging.jmir.org/2026/1/e55963/PDF  a1 - 60 v93 a<p>Leprosy is endemic in many low-income countries, affecting mainly the poorest communities. The disease can lead to sensorimotor functional losses that can predispose patients to reduced independence. In older adults, these losses associated with leprosy are added to those already resulting from natural aging and associated comorbidities, which can contribute to the clinical picture of frailty syndrome in these older adults. Early detection of frailty can reduce several serious consequences for these individuals, preventing loss of quality of life and financial costs to patients and the health care system. Sensors built into smartphones have been proposed as low-cost, and highly sensitive tools for detecting motor loss and could help monitor the risk of some frailty features in older people affected by leprosy.</p>
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