Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Sarcopenia in Hip Fractured Patients: Where We Are and Where We Are Going: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Sarcopenia is defined as a progressive loss of muscle mass and muscle strength associated to increased adverse events, such as falls and hip fractures. The aim of this systematic review is to analyse diagnosis methods of sarcopenia in patients with hip fracture and evaluate prevention and treatment strategies described in literature. Methods: Three independent authors performed a systematic review of two electronic medical databases using the following inclusion criteria: Sarcopenia, hip fractures, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention with a minimum average of 6-months follow-up. Any evidence-level studies reporting clinical data and dealing with sarcopenia diagnosis, or the treatment and prevention in hip fracture-affected patients, were considered. Results: A total of 32 articles were found. After the first screening, we selected 19 articles eligible for full-text reading. Ultimately, following full-text reading, and checking of the reference list, seven articles were included. Conclusions: Sarcopenia diagnosis is challenging, as no standardized diagnostic and therapeutic protocols are present. The development of medical management programs is mandatory for good prevention. To ensure adequate resource provision, care models should be reviewed, and new welfare policies should be adopted in the future.

Treatment of Periprosthetic Knee Fractures with Plate and Screws and With Retrograde Intramedullary Nail: Indications, Limits and Medium-Term Follow-Up

“…In our case t (23) results in p-value = 1.28 (p>0.05), the result shows us that the sample is not representative of the general population.…”

“…An interesting fact is the average age of the incidence of these periprosthetic fractures, which is lower in the female sex than in the male sex. This is attributable to an earlier incidence of osteoporosis in the female sex due to hormonal factors [23].…”

Association between self-rated health and the risk of hip fracture and mortality in a cohort of older women during a 10-year follow-up

“…Gait speed and to rise from a chair are also part of the physical performance tests often used for diagnosis of sarcopenia [ 52 ]. Sarcopenia means a loss of muscle mass and muscle strength that leads to adverse events [ 13 , 53 ]. When combining two of the markers for sarcopenia in one variable and adding that to the age adjusted model of the association between SRH and hip fractures the association remains.…”

Hip Fractures and Visual Impairment: Is There a Cause–Consequence Mechanism?

“…Among these, there is visual impairment: growing old means losing visual acuity [ 6 ]; therefore, it seems logical to expect higher chances of accidental falls. Moreover, osteoporosis, sarcopenia [ 7 , 8 ], arthrosis, dementia, and balance problems [ 9 ] make falls far more likely in those aged over 65 [ 1 ]. Numerous studies in the scientific literature show how visual impairment in elderly patients seems connected to a higher fall rate, often resulting in fractures, especially hip ones [ 10 ].…”