Highlights
- •Sarcopenia is an age-related loss of muscle mass associated with decreased function.
- •Sarcopenia has no gold standard diagnostic tool.
- •Diagnostic criteria include muscle mass, strength and physical performance.
- •Muscle mass is becoming less central as a diagnostic criterion
- •The most common tool is that of the European Working Group for Sarcopenia (EWGSOP).
Abstract
Sarcopenia is a disease related to accelerated loss of skeletal muscle and subsequent
decline in functional capacity. It affects approximately 13% of the world's population
aged over 60 years. Sarcopenia is primarily managed and prevented through a combination
of exercise prescription combined with appropriate nutritional strategies. This review
outlines diagnostic and case finding/screening tools for age-related (primary) sarcopenia
used in research and clinical practice. Diagnostic tools critically reviewed include
those of the: European Workgroup for Sarcopenia (EWGSOP) versions 1 and 2; Asian Working
Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) versions 1 and 2; Foundation for the National Institutes
of Health (FNIH); and the Sarcopenia Definition and Outcomes Consortium (SDOC). Criteria
used by diagnostic tools (muscle mass, muscle strength and physical functioning/performance)
are also detailed. Case-finding tools include the SARC-F questionnaire, Ishii's formula
and Goodman's screening grid. Additionally, this review discusses the strengths and
weaknesses of each diagnostic and case-finding tool, and examines their ability to
reliably predict adverse clinical outcomes and patient responses to potential therapies.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 05, 2021
Accepted:
June 6,
2021
Received in revised form:
June 4,
2021
Received:
December 30,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
