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Frailty and sarcopenia: definitions and outcome parameters

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Abstract

An operational definition of musculoskeletal decline in older people is needed to allow development of interventions for prevention or treatment, as was developed for the treatment of osteoporosis. Frailty and sarcopenia are linked, but distinct, correlates of musculoskeletal aging that have many causes, including age-related changes in body composition, inflammation, and hormonal imbalance. With the emergence of a number of exciting candidate therapies to retard the loss of muscle mass with aging, the derivation of a consensual definition of sarcopenia and physical frailty becomes an urgent priority. Although several consensual definitions have been proposed, these require clinical validation. An operational definition, which might provide a threshold for treatment/trial inclusion, should incorporate a loss of muscle mass as well as evidence of a decrease in muscle strength and/or physical activity. Evidence is required for a link between improvements in the measures of muscle strength and/or physical activity and clinical outcomes to allow development of interventions to improve clinical outcomes in frail older patients.

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Acknowledgements

WD is an employee and stockholder of Amgen, Inc.; WE is an employee of GlaxoSmithKline; BM is an employee and shareholder of Eli Lilly and Company; YT is an employee of Servier. YR has spoken for and prepared an education module with Nutricia and is on the expert board of Cheisi and Lactalis. SB is senior clinical investigator of the Fund for Scientific Research, Flanders, Belgium (F.W.O.-Vlaanderen) and holder of the Leuven University Chair in Gerontology and Geriatrics. Medical writing assistance was provided by Lucy Hyatt of Amgen (Europe) GmbH, with additional editorial assistance from Lucy Kanan of Bioscript Stirling, funded by Amgen (Europe) GmbH and GlaxoSmithKline.

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Cooper, C., Dere, W., Evans, W. et al. Frailty and sarcopenia: definitions and outcome parameters. Osteoporos Int 23, 1839–1848 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-012-1913-1

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