Library · Disease
Sarcopenia
Make it clearer
Sarcopenia is the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength, and it is considered a musculoskeletal disease, meaning a disease of the muscles and skeleton. It occurs mainly in older adults: it is not just that there is less mass, meaning less muscle, but that strength is lost as well.
Inside the body, several mechanisms have been described, and two help make sense of it. One is hormonal: with age, anabolic hormones, the ones that build and maintain tissue, decline. The other involves the nerves. Alpha motor neurons, the nerve cells in the spinal cord that send the signal to the muscle, are lost, and so are neuromuscular junctions, the points where nerve meets muscle. The muscle gradually loses some of the wires that carry the signal to contract.
And the effects go beyond the muscle. Sarcopenia is closely linked to more falls and a higher risk of fracture, and it can make everyday activities harder.
In brief
Sarcopenia is a musculoskeletal disease generally defined by progressive loss of muscle mass and strength, mainly in older adults.
Described mechanisms include the age-related decline in anabolic hormones and the loss of alpha motor neurons in the spinal cord and of neuromuscular junctions.
The muscle gradually loses some of the wires that carry the signal to contract.
It is closely linked to more falls and a higher risk of fracture, and it can make daily activities harder.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingSarcopenia, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated