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BY ALYSSA GARZA

WHAT IS SARCOPENIA
SARCOPENIA IS THE DEGENERATIVE LOSS OFSKELETAL MUSCLE QUALITY, AND STRENGTH

ASSOCIATED WITH AGING. SARCOPENIA IS A COMPONENT OF THEFRAILTY SYNDROME. IT IS

OFTEN A COMPONENT OFCACHEXIA. IT CAN ALSO EXIST INDEPENDENTLY OF CACHEXIA;
WHEREAS CACHEXIA INCLUDESMALAISEAND IS SECONDARY TO AN UNDERLYING PATHOSIS,
SARCOPENIA MAY OCCUR IN HEALTHY PEOPLE AND DOES NOT NECESSARILY INCLUDE MALAISE.

CAUSES
ONE THEORY IS THAT SARCOPENIA IS IN PART CAUSED BY A FAILURE IN SATELLITE CELL ACTIVATION.
EXTREME MUSCLE LOSS IS OFTEN A RESULT OF BOTH DIMINISHINGANABOLICSIGNALS, SUCH

ASGROWTH HORMONEANDTESTOSTERONE, AND PROMOTION OFCATABOLICSIGNALS, SUCH AS PROINFLAMMATORYCYTOKINES.

HOW IT AFFECTS THE MUSCLE

IT DECREASES THE SIZE OF THE MUSCLE
REDUCES MUSCLE TISSUE QUALITY
CHANGES MUSCLE METABOLISM
CAUSE MUSCLES TO BE FRAIL

PREVALENCE
A RECENT STUDY, IN COMMUNITY DWELLING OLDER ADULTS WITH AN

AVERAGE AGE OF 67 YEARS, FOUND THE UK PREVALENCE OF SARCOPENIA TO

BE 4.6% IN MEN AND 7.9% IN WOMEN

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

SARCOPENIA IS CHARACTERIZED FIRST BY AMUSCLE ATROPHY, ALONG WITH A REDUCTION IN MUSCLE

TISSUE QUALITY, CHARACTERIZED BY SUCH FACTORS AS REPLACEMENT OF MUSCLE FIBERS WITH FAT, AN
INCREASE INFIBROSIS, CHANGES IN MUSCLE METABOLISM,OXIDATIVE STRESS, AND DEGENERATION OF
THENEUROMUSCULAR JUNCTIONAND LEADING TO PROGRESSIVE LOSS OF MUSCLE FUNCTION AND
FRAILTY.SARCOPENIA IS DETERMINED BY TWO FACTORS: INITIAL AMOUNT OF MUSCLE MASS AND RATE
AT WHICH AGING DECREASES MUSCLE MASS. DUE TO THE LOSS OF INDEPENDENCE ASSOCIATED WITH
LOSS OF MUSCLE STRENGTH, THE THRESHOLD AT WHICH MUSCLE WASTING BECOMES A DISEASE IS
DIFFERENT PATHOLOGICALLY FROM PERSON TO PERSON.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS CONT.

SIMPLECIRCUMFERENCEMEASUREMENT DOES NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH DATA TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR
NOT AN INDIVIDUAL IS SUFFERING FROM SEVERE SARCOPENIA. SARCOPENIA IS ALSO MARKED BY A
DECREASE IN THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF DISTINCT TYPES OFMUSCLE FIBERS.