Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 3, 2026

Author Spotlight: Assessing Surgical Frailty with Point-of-Care Ultrasound of Quadriceps Muscles

Author Spotlight: Assessing Surgical Frailty with Point-of-Care Ultrasound of Quadriceps Muscles

Published on: July 26, 2024

Identifying sarcopenia in acute care setting patients.

Andrea P Rossi¹, Francesco Fantin¹, Rocco Micciolo²

¹Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.

Journal of the American Medical Directors Association

|February 11, 2014

Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Changes in Cardiac-Arterial Coupling After Cardiac Surgery for Aortic Valve Disease.

Reviews in cardiovascular medicine·2026

Same author

Comparison of risk factors and different therapeutic options for ocular toxoplasmosis recurrence: a retrospective study.

Journal of ophthalmic inflammation and infection·2026

Same author

QTc Interval Prolongation and Associated Drug Therapy in Hospitalized Older Adults.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026

Same author

Effect of Incretin-Based and Nonpharmacologic Weight Loss on Body Composition : A Systematic Review.

Annals of internal medicine·2026

Same author

Hospital Frailty Risk Score Predicts Long-Term Hospital Readmissions in Very Old Patients with Heart Failure.

Journal of clinical medicine·2026

Same author

European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People Algorithm: Step-by-Step Relation With Length of Hospitalization.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026

Sarcopenia affects one in four elderly patients in acute care. Combining gait speed and handgrip strength improves sarcopenia detection in older adults.

Area of Science:

Geriatrics
Sarcopenia Research
Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

Sarcopenia is a prevalent condition in older adults, particularly in acute care settings.
Accurate identification of sarcopenia is crucial for timely intervention and management.
Existing diagnostic criteria, such as the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) flowchart, require validation in diverse clinical populations.

Purpose of the Study:

To determine the prevalence of sarcopenia in an acute care geriatric unit using the EWGSOP criteria.
To assess a modified EWGSOP diagnostic algorithm that combines handgrip strength and gait speed tests.
To evaluate the effectiveness of this combined approach in identifying individuals with low muscle mass.

Main Methods:

An observational cohort study was conducted in an academic medical department's geriatric unit.

Keywords:

Sarcopenia muscle strength walking speed

More Related Videos

Segmentation and Linear Measurement for Body Composition Analysis using Slice-O-Matic and Horos

Segmentation and Linear Measurement for Body Composition Analysis using Slice-O-Matic and Horos

Published on: March 21, 2021

The Creation of a Rat Model for Osteosarcopenia via Ovariectomy

The Creation of a Rat Model for Osteosarcopenia via Ovariectomy

Published on: February 21, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 3, 2026

Author Spotlight: Assessing Surgical Frailty with Point-of-Care Ultrasound of Quadriceps Muscles

Author Spotlight: Assessing Surgical Frailty with Point-of-Care Ultrasound of Quadriceps Muscles

Published on: July 26, 2024

Segmentation and Linear Measurement for Body Composition Analysis using Slice-O-Matic and Horos

Segmentation and Linear Measurement for Body Composition Analysis using Slice-O-Matic and Horos

Published on: March 21, 2021

The Creation of a Rat Model for Osteosarcopenia via Ovariectomy

The Creation of a Rat Model for Osteosarcopenia via Ovariectomy

Published on: February 21, 2025

One hundred nineteen acutely ill patients (mean age 80.4 years) underwent assessment of muscle mass (bioimpedance analysis), muscle strength (handheld dynamometer), and gait speed (4-meter walking test).

The EWGSOP classification and a modified algorithm combining handgrip and gait speed were applied.

Main Results:

Sarcopenia was identified in 5.0% and severe sarcopenia in 21.0% of patients using the EWGSOP classification.
The combined handgrip and gait speed test demonstrated high predictive power for low muscle mass (sensitivity 80.6%, specificity 62.5%).
Combining these tests yielded a statistically significant higher area under the curve (AUC) compared to individual tests (0.740; P = .018).

Conclusions:

Approximately one in four patients admitted to acute care geriatric units exhibit sarcopenia.
A modified EWGSOP algorithm integrating gait speed and handgrip strength enhances the sensitivity and specificity for identifying low muscle mass.
This combined approach offers a more effective diagnostic tool for sarcopenia in acute care settings.