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Sarcopenia: a Muscle Disease with Decreased Functional Capacity and an Increased Risk of Adverse Health Outcomes

  • Geriatric Rehabilitation (P Kortebein, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

This paper aims to provide an overview of sarcopenia, an enigmatic skeletal muscle disease where age, disuse, injury, and chronic disease can all contribute to the accelerated loss of mass and strength beyond normal variation, and that can negatively affect a person’s physical function and quality of life.

Recent Findings

A rapid and pervasive “graying” of societies worldwide is expected to continue in the coming decades. Due to this projected increase in the number of older adults, sarcopenia and its associated costs will be a significant public health concern. New international guidelines address the need for clinic-based approaches to identify vulnerable patients through quick and simple screening, while lifestyle-based interventions including resistance exercise training, general physical activity, and adequate nutrition remain the mainstays of treatment. The development of new, viable treatment options, including nutrition products and pharmacotherapy, are progressing with results expected in the near future.

Summary

The refinement of diagnostic criteria, recent designation as an internationally recognized medical condition, and the introduction of evidence-based treatment, is advancing sarcopenia as a treatable disease for a rapidly growing population of patients.

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  1. Department of Musculoskeletal Translational Medicine, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 220 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Daniel Rooks

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  1. Daniel Rooks
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Correspondence to Daniel Rooks.

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Daniel Rooks has a patent for the use of bimagrumab in sarcopenia pending. In addition, he is a full time employee of the Novartis Institutes of BioMedical Research. However, Dr. Rooks reports that no recommendation or data regarding any drug developed by or marketed by Novartis is included in the manuscript, and that the focus of the paper is non-drug approaches to care for sarcopenia.

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Rooks, D. Sarcopenia: a Muscle Disease with Decreased Functional Capacity and an Increased Risk of Adverse Health Outcomes. Curr Phys Med Rehabil Rep 7, 290–296 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40141-019-00236-5

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