Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 May 17;23(10):5591.
doi: 10.3390/ijms23105591.

Osteosarcopenia: A Narrative Review on Clinical Studies

Angela Polito  1 , Lorenzo Barnaba  1 , Donatella Ciarapica  1 , Elena Azzini  1
Affiliations
Review

Osteosarcopenia: A Narrative Review on Clinical Studies

Angela Polito et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Osteosarcopenia (OS) is defined by the concurrent presence of osteopenia/osteoporosis and sarcopenia. The pathogenesis and etiology of OS involve genetic, biochemical, mechanical, and lifestyle factors. Moreover, an inadequate nutritional status, such as low intake of protein, vitamin D, and calcium, and a reduction in physical activity are key risk factors for OS. This review aims to increase knowledge about diagnosis, incidence, etiology, and treatment of OS through clinical studies that treat OS as a single disease. Clinical studies show the relationship between OS and the risk of frailty, falls, and fractures and some association with Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) pathologies such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. In some cases, the importance of deepening the related mechanisms is emphasized. Physical exercise with adequate nutrition and nutritional supplementations such as proteins, Vitamin D, or calcium, represent a significant strategy for breaking OS. In addition, pharmacological interventions may confer benefits on muscle and bone health. Both non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions require additional randomized controlled trials (RCT) in humans to deepen the synergistic effect of exercise, nutritional interventions, and drug compounds in osteosarcopenia.

Keywords: clinical studies; interventions; osteosarcopenia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pathogenesis and etiology of osteosarcopenia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Binkley N., Buehring B. Beyond FRAX®: It’s Time to Consider “Sarco-Osteopenia”. J. Clin. Densitom. 2009;12:413–416. doi: 10.1016/j.jocd.2009.06.004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hirschfeld H.P., Kinsella R., Duque G. Osteosarcopenia: Where bone, muscle, and fat collide. Osteoporos. Int. 2017;28:2781–2790. doi: 10.1007/s00198-017-4151-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kaplan S.J., Pham T.N., Arbabi S., Gross J.A., Damodarasamy M., Bentov I., Taitsman L.A., Mitchell S.H., Reed M.J. Associationof radiologic indicators of frailty with 1-year mortality in older trauma patients: Opportunistic screening for sarcopenia and os-teopenia. JAMA Surg. 2017;152:e164604. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2016.4604. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Nielsen B.R., Abdulla J., Andersen H.E., Schwarz P., Suetta C. Sarcopenia and osteoporosis in older people: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur. Geriatr. Med. 2018;9:419–434. doi: 10.1007/s41999-018-0079-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cruz-Jentoft A.J., Baeyens J.P., Bauer J.M., Boirie Y., Cederholm T., Landi F., Martin F.C., Michel J., Rolland Y., Schneider S.M., et al. Sarcopenia: European consensus on definition and diagnosis. Report of the European working group on sarcopenia in older people. Age Ageing. 2010;39:412–423. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afq034. - DOI - PMC - PubMed