Possible sarcopenia: early screening and intervention-narrative review

Abstract

Sarcopenia is a new geriatric syndrome that has become a heavily researched topic, and it is a potential risk factor for weakness, disability, and death in elderly people. As the world's population ages, the incidence of sarcopenia has also increased, which has resulted in a series of health problems and in large medical costs. Although there are generally accepted diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia, the existing criteria require a comprehensive evaluation of muscle quality, muscle strength and muscle function. Most of these evaluations are time-consuming, labourious, difficult to implement, and unsuitable for large-scale population surveys. Moreover, the abilities of the elderly to undertake daily-life activities are often affected when they are diagnosed with sarcopenia. Therefore, if individuals who are likely to suffer from sarcopenia could be identified by screening at an early stage and then comprehensively evaluated, time and labour would be saved, and the detection rate would be improved. Timely intervention can be undertaken in possible sarcopenia to prevent further development of sarcopenia and strongly improve the quality of life of individuals. This study reviews the early screening and intervention of the possible sarcopenia, analyses its advantages and disadvantages and attempt to identify reliable and practical methods to reduce adverse consequences and the extent of harm.