Sarcopenia (or muscle failure) is a geriatric syndrome characterized by a progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and function that has adverse consequences, especially physical disability, falls and death.
The word sarcopenia comes from two Greek words: sarx, meaning flesh, and penia, which speaks of the lack of something. In short, “lack of flesh”. It was not recognized as a disease in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) until 2016.
It is one of the main causes of physical frailty, and increases the risk of problems such as death, falls, physical disability and poorer quality of life; up to 30% of older people have sarcopenia, with higher prevalence in those living in nursing homes.
Causes of sarcopenia
It can occur in a chronic and larval form (over many years), or rapidly, generally caused by immobilization associated with an acute illness.
The pathophysiology of sarcopenia is complex and affects both the muscle and its neurological and hormonal regulation.
The prevalence of sarcopenia increases with age and in certain care settings (nursing homes, hospitals, rehabilitation centers).
Diagnosis of sarcopenia
The diagnosis of sarcopenia is based on the documentation of low muscle mass associated with low muscle strength and/or low physical performance, which can be made in different ways:
- Muscle mass: can be known by performing densiometry.
- Muscle strength: can be obtained with a hand grip device.
- Physical performance, which can be measured by walking speed over a distance of 4 meters (people walking at less than 1 meter per second are considered at risk).
It should be remembered that sarcopenia is not the only disease that produces generalized loss of muscle mass, but also malnutrition and cachexia, and it is not always easy to distinguish between these three problems.
Once the disease is confirmed, its causes need to be determined and a treatment plan developed. In addition, it is important to review medications that may be related to sarcopenia.
For more information contact a specialist in Geriatrics.