Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass and function that occurs in aging. Multiple factors are involved in thepathogenesis of sarcopenia, such as mitochondrial dysfunction, protein synthesis alteration, and poor exercise.Both European (EWGSOP) and American (FNIH) diagnostic criteria are currently available. Sarcopeniacould represent the biological substrate of physical frailty. In every older patient presenting compatible clinicalfeatures, the presence of sarcopenia should be screened with validated questionnaires such as SARC-F. TheDXA evaluation is considered the current gold standard technique both in research and in clinical practice forthe assessment of muscle mass. In clinical practice, the measurement of muscle strength by handgrip strengthis recommended, while physical performance should be primarily assessed by SPPB test. In this review, wereport current strategies to counteract sarcopenia, which consist of adequate protein intake and physical exercise.
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3158164251