Sarcopenia: An Age-Related Multifactorial Disorder

Abstract

Sarcopenia is a disease characterized by a gradual decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength that accompanies the normal aging process. The disease is associated with various adverse health outcomes in the geriatric population, such as prolonged hospital admission, disability, poor quality of life, frailty, and mortality. Factors involved in the development of age-related sarcopenia include anorexia, hormone level alterations, decreased neural innervation, low muscular blood flow, cytokine dysregulation, altered mitochondrial activity, genomic instability, intracellular proteolysis, and insulin resistance. Understanding the underlying mechanisms may facilitate the development of efficient prophylactic and therapeutic strategies to improve the quality of life in elderly individuals. Thus, the present review highlights literature regarding the mechanism of sarcopenia development in elderly patients.

Keywords: Sarcopenia; aging; anorexia; frailty; insulin resistance; skeletal muscle.