Sarcopenia: clinical evaluation, biological markers and other evaluation tools

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Muscle Physiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Sarcopenia is a geriatric condition defined by loss of muscle mass, strength, and function.
• Accurate assessment is crucial for timely intervention and management of sarcopenia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and categorize methods for assessing skeletal muscle mass, strength, and physical performance.
• To outline criteria for selecting appropriate assessment tools for a clinical sarcopenia definition.

Main Methods:

• Review of common and gold-standard techniques for muscle mass assessment (e.g., DEXA, BIA, MRI, CT).
• Overview of methods for muscle strength evaluation (e.g., dynamometry, isokinetic testing).
• Inclusion of physical performance measures as complementary assessment tools.

Main Results:

• Accessible methods like DEXA, anthropometry, and BIA are widely used for muscle mass.
• MRI, CT, and creatinine excretion are considered gold standards for muscle mass.
• Dynamometry and isokinetic testing are key for muscle strength assessment.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive clinical definition of sarcopenia requires valid, reliable, and accessible assessment methods.
• The chosen methods should be specific to skeletal muscle, predictive of health outcomes, non-invasive, practical, and cost-effective.