Muscle loss in elderly causes higher risk of falling & fractures: study

As people age, muscle loss is bound to happen, especially as one turns 30. Muscle loss or age-related sarcopenia is a condition in which a person who is physically inactive may lose around 3 to 5 percent of their muscle mass per decade once they reach 30 years of age, Web MD reports.

A study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health revealed that the estimated healthcare cost linked to sarcopenia in the United States alone amounts to $18.5 billion in 2000, representing about 1.5 percent of total healthcare expenses that year.

A new study coming from an international team of researchers from the University of Southampton have found that older people who have age-related loss of muscle mass and strength have a higher risk of falling and experiencing bone fractures, EurekAlert reports. Researchers claim that individuals with sarcopenia have a greater number of reported falls within the last year and a higher prevalence of fractures.

For the study, researchers from the U.K., United States, and New Zealand analyzed seniors aged 70 to 82 using three sarcopenia definitions suggested by different organizations, along with the dysmobility syndrome criteria to find out how the different diagnoses related to how often falls and fractures occurred during the last 12 months and since the age of 45.

Results revealed that 8.3 percent of the participants had the most cases defined by the International Working Group on Sarcopenia (IWGS), with a significantly higher number of falls within the last year, and prevalent fractures. About 2 percent had diagnosis defined by the European Working Group for Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Sarcopenia Project (FNIH). However, dysmobility syndrome was common in 24.8 percent of participants, who had higher numbers of falls but no increase in fracture rate.

According to study lead author Dr. Michael Clynes, lead author of the study from Southampton's Medical Research Council (MRC) Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, "All of these definitions recognise that measuring muscle mass in isolation is inadequate and a measure of muscle function is also required, but there are differences in how function is assessed."

"Due to these differences, an individual may receive different diagnosis depending on how he or she is assessed," he explained. "This is important because the better we can identify sarcopenia, the more insight we have into the health issues and risks patients face."

Dr. Clynes also explained, "The IWGS definition of sarcopenia appears to be an effective means of identifying individuals at risk of adverse musculoskeletal events, such as falls and fracture. The findings enable us to more effectively predict those at increased risk of falls and fractures. By defining sarcopenia, health care professionals can target treatment to at-risk individuals."

The study was published in the Calcified Tissue International journal.