Abstract
Background: The diagnosis of sarcopenia through clinical assessment has some limitations. The literature advises studies that include objective markers along with clinical assessment in order to improve the sensitivity and specificity of current diagnostic criteria. The decrease of muscle quality precedes the loss of quantity, so we studied the role magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers as indicators of the quantity and quality of muscle in sarcopenia patients. Methods: a cross-sectional analysis was performed to analyze what MR-derived imaging parameters correlate better with sarcopenia diagnostic criteria in women of 70 years of age and over (independent walking and community-dwelling women who were sarcopenic in accordance with EWGSOP criteria with muscle mass adjusted to Spanish population were chosen). Results: The study included 26 women; 81 ± 8 years old. A strong correlation was obtained between cineanthropometric variables (BMI; thigh perimeter and fat mass) and imaging biomarkers (muscle/fat ratio, fatty infiltration, muscle T2*, water diffusion coefficient, and proton density fat fraction) with coefficients around 0.7 (absolute value). Conclusions: Knowing the correlation of clinical parameters and imaging-derived muscle quality indicators can help to identify older women at risk of developing sarcopenia at an early stage. This may allow taking preventive actions to decrease disability, morbidity, and mortality in sarcopenia patients.
Highlights
Sarcopenia is defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP)as a disorder described by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, with an increased risk of adverse events such as physical disability, loss of quality of life, and death [1]
The assessment of functional mobility is related to the speed of walking, measured through timed up and go (TUG) or the short physical performance battery (SPPB), where speeds lower than 1 m/s are related to the increase of disability, hospital admissions, falls, institutionalization, and early death [2]
The current diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia are based on aspects of muscle quantity and function, but in sarcopenia, both muscle quantity and quality must be measured because loss of muscle volume is preceded by loss of muscle quality [14]
Summary
Sarcopenia is defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP)as a disorder described by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, with an increased risk of adverse events such as physical disability, loss of quality of life, and death [1]. According to the EWGSOP, sarcopenia can be assessed by means of indirect measures of muscle function and muscle mass [1]. Between 50–60 years, strength decreases annually by 1.5%, reaching up to 3% from the age of 60 These changes can be due to the decrease of contractile elements, the loss of motor units, the reduction of the total number of muscle fibers, and the reduction of type II fibers by transformation into type I fibers, with the consequent loss of muscle power [3]. A cross-sectional analysis was performed to analyze what MR-derived imaging parameters correlate better with sarcopenia diagnostic criteria in women of 70 years of age and over (independent walking and community-dwelling women who were sarcopenic in accordance with EWGSOP criteria with muscle mass adjusted to Spanish population were chosen). A strong correlation was obtained between cineanthropometric variables (BMI; thigh perimeter and fat mass) and imaging biomarkers (muscle/fat ratio, fatty infiltration, muscle T2*, water diffusion coefficient, and proton density fat fraction) with coefficients around 0.7
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