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Sarcopenic obesity: research advances in pathogenesis and diagnostic criteria

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Abstract

Sarcopenic obesity (SO) refers to an obesity disease accompanied by low skeletal muscle quality, strength and/or function, which is more common in the elderly and seriously affects their quality of life and can lead to falls, unstable walking, balance disorders and fractures in the elderly. The increase in aging populations and the various health problems and medical costs associated with SO have aroused widespread concern in society. However, the pathogenesis of SO has not been fully clarified and the diagnostic criteria are not uniform, meaning that there are inconsistent data on the prevalence of SO and the potential correlation between SO and health outcomes. Therefore, we review the research progress on delineating the pathogenesis and diagnostic criteria of SO, to assist in the early diagnosis and evaluation of SO and subsequent interventions.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81874030 and 81871096), the Provincial Natural Science Foundation of Hunan (No. 2019JJ50949), the Provincial Health Commission of Hunan (No. B2019187) and the Initial Funding for Outstanding Young People in Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (ZRY2018C004).

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Author notes

  1. Wen-qing Xie, Ge-lei Xiao and Yi-bin Fan contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China

    Wen-qing Xie, Miao He & Yu-sheng Li

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China

    Ge-lei Xiao

  3. Department of Dermatology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, 310014, Zhejiang, China

    Yi-bin Fan

  4. Department of Geriatric Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China

    Shan Lv

  5. National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China

    Wen-qing Xie, Miao He & Yu-sheng Li

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  1. Wen-qing Xie
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  2. Ge-lei Xiao
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  4. Miao He
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Correspondence to Shan Lv or Yu-sheng Li.

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Xie, Wq., Xiao, Gl., Fan, Yb. et al. Sarcopenic obesity: research advances in pathogenesis and diagnostic criteria. Aging Clin Exp Res 33, 247–252 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-019-01435-9

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