Sarcopenia

 The loss of skeletal muscle mass and function is known as Sarcopenia.

 It is an age-related disease and is mostly seen in elderly patients.

Symptoms
1. Weakness and loss of stamina
2. Decreased physical activity
3. Difficulty performing daily activities.
4. Walking slowly.
5. Trouble climbing stairs.
6. Poor balance and falls.

Factors.
7. Reduction in nerve cells responsible for sending signals from the brain to the muscles to start the movement.
8. Lower concentrations of some hormones, including growth hormone, testosterone, and insulin-like growth factor.
9. A decrease in the ability to turn protein into energy.
10. Not getting enough calories or protein each day to sustain muscle mass.
11. Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
12. Obesity
 Epidemiology
1. Sarcopenia increases from 14% in those aged above 65 years but below 70, to 53% in those above 80 years of age.
2. The prevalence in 60–70-year-olds is reported as 5–13%, while the prevalence ranges from 11 to 50% in people >80
years.
3. The number of people around the world aged ≥60 years was estimated at 600 million in the year 2000, a figure that is
expected to rise to 1.2 billion by 2025 and 2 billion by 2050.
4. With an estimate of prevalence, sarcopenia affects >50 million people today and will affect >200 million in the next 40
years.
5. The estimated direct healthcare cost attributable to sarcopenia in the USA in 2000 was $40.4 billion.  
 Treatments for Sarcopenia
• The primary treatment for sarcopenia is exercise, specifically resistance training or strength training.
• These activities increase muscle strength and endurance using weights or resistance bands.
• Resistance training can help your neuromuscular system, hormones. It also can improve an older adult's
ability to convert protein to energy in as little as two weeks.
• The proper number, intensity, and frequency of resistance exercise is important for getting the most
benefit with the least risk of injury.
• Although medication is not the preferred treatment for sarcopenia, a few are being studied.
They include:
• Urocortin II. This can prevent muscle atrophy that can happen when you’re in a cast or taking
certain medicines. Its use for building muscle mass in humans has not been studied and isn't
recommended.
• Testosterone supplements
• Growth hormone supplements
• Medication for treatment of metabolic syndrome (including, insulin-resistance, obesity,
and hypertension)
 Top 10 Clinical Trials for Sarcopenia Treatment

U.S. National Library of Medicine | U.S. National Institutes of Health | U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
 Top 10 Clinical Trials for Sarcopenia Treatment

U.S. National Library of Medicine | U.S. National Institutes of Health | U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
 Latest Clinical Trials for Sarcopenia Treatment

U.S. National Library of Medicine | U.S. National Institutes of Health | U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
 Latest Clinical Trials for Sarcopenia Treatment

U.S. National Library of Medicine | U.S. National Institutes of Health | U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
 Current Status of the Development of Drugs for Sarcopenia

Source from Sarcopenia Therapeutics – Pipeline Analysis 2018 by P&S Market Research (https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/sarcopenia-
therapeutics-pipeline-analysis)
 Stem Cell Therapy for Sarcopenia
 Stem cell therapy could potentially be a novel therapeutic intervention for sarcopenia treatment because of its
regenerative capabilities and its ability to produce anti-inflammatory cytokines that in turn change
the microenvironment into one that promotes reinnervation and regeneration.
 However, stem cell transplantation is limited by several factors, ranging from ethics, rejection and
production limitations and hence, using the secretome of stem cells, which is the main anti-inflammatory
component produced by stem cells could be a better option over the direct use of stem cells.
 In conclusion, regenerative therapies provide exciting opportunities and possibilities of treating sarcopenia
beyond the current standard intervention strategies such as exercise and nutrition.
 Tremendous progress achieved from the past regenerative medicine researches are laudable and deserve
further advancement (e.g., from cellular - to animal model-to human pilot trials-to larger clinical trials), in
parallel measuring the efficacy, cost-effectiveness and safety of these studies on systemic level is required.
 References

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• Schneider SM, Al-Jaouni R, Filippi J, Wiroth JB, Zeanandin G, Arab K, et al. Sarcopenia is prevalent in patients with Crohn’s
disease in clinical remission. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2008;14:1562–8.

• Evans WJ. What is sarcopenia? J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 1995;50(Spec):5–8

• Roubenoff R. Origins and clinical relevance of sarcopenia. Can J Appl Physiol

• Jensen GL. Inflammation: roles in aging and sarcopenia. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. 2008;32:656–659.

• Cao L, Morley JE. Sarcopenia is recognized as an independent condition by an International Classification of Disease, Tenth
Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) code. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2016;17:675–7.

• SayerAA, RobinsonSM, PatelHP, ShavlakadzeT, CooperC, GroundsMD. New horizons in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and

management of sarcopenia. Age Ageing2013; 42:145 - 50;