Public Health issues in hospital management of Sarcopenic patients

Abstract

Sarcopenia is a combination of a progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and muscle strength or physical performance, with high risk of adverse outcomes such as physical disability, poor quality of life and death. It mainly affects older people, aged 60-70 years. The development of sarcopenia is multifactor. The first step towards the management of sarcopenia is the proper and professional diagnosis. According to EWGSOP the diagnosis of sarcopenia depends on the presence of low muscle mass (LMM) plus low muscle strength (LMS) or low physical performance (LPP). Although it is difficult to establish its prevalence, the higher prevalence is observed in hospitalized elderly patients. It has direct and indirect impact on public health, which are difficult to be measured due to numerous negative outcomes of sarcopenia.