Sarcopenia and Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle strength, mass, and function, which is often exacerbated by chronic comorbidities including cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, and cancer. Sarcopenia is associated with faster progression of cardiovascular diseases and higher risk of mortality, falls, and reduced quality of life, particularly among older adults. Although the pathophysiologic mechanisms are complex, the broad underlying cause of sarcopenia includes an imbalance between anabolic and catabolic muscle homeostasis with or without neuronal degeneration. The intrinsic molecular mechanisms of aging, chronic illness, malnutrition, and immobility are associated with the development of sarcopenia. Screening and testing for sarcopenia may be particularly important among those with chronic disease states. Early recognition of sarcopenia is important because it can provide an opportunity for interventions to reverse or delay the progression of muscle disorder, which may ultimately impact cardiovascular outcomes. Relying on body mass index is not useful for screening because many patients will have sarcopenic obesity, a particularly important phenotype among older cardiac patients. In this review, we aimed to: (1) provide a definition of sarcopenia within the context of muscle wasting disorders; (2) summarize the associations between sarcopenia and different cardiovascular diseases; (3) highlight an approach for a diagnostic evaluation; (4) discuss management strategies for sarcopenia; and (5) outline key gaps in knowledge with implications for the future of the field.

Malnutrition in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

“…35 It is important to clarify that frailty, sarcopenia, and malnutrition are related but distinct clinical entities from each other and also different from BMI; each have important prognostic implications. 36 Although there have been prior calls to formalize routine evaluation of frailty 37 and sarcopenia 36 in older adults with various cardiovascular diseases including HF, our findings here additionally support the need to incorporate screening tools for malnutrition as well. To effectively screen for malnutrition, it may be reasonable to use the MNA-SF given its validity and brevity.…”

“…The median age of patients in this cohort was 73 years (IQR [64-81]), and the majority were female (65.8%) and white (73.6%). The median LVEF was 62 (IQR [60-67]) and median BMI was 33 (IQR [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40]). The most common comorbid conditions were hypertension (80.5%), atrial fibrillation (42.9%), and obesity (63.2%).…”

Phosphoproteomics Analysis of Elderly people with sarcopenia

“…Sarcopenia is the accelerated loss of muscle mass, strength, and function. It is associated with an increased risk of faster cardiovascular disease progression, death, falls, and decreased quality of life, especially in older adults 13 . As an emerging geriatric giant, sarcopenia poses a serious burden on global health 14 .…”

Characterizing the skeletal muscle immune microenvironment for sarcopenia using transcriptome analysis and histological validation

“…This has made sarcopenia a significant public health concern in aging societies(Chen et al, 2020), as it is linked to numerous adverse outcomes such as falls, fractures, and mortality in the elderly. Histopathologically, sarcopenia is characterized by a reduction in the number and size of muscle fibers, especially Type-II muscle fibers, as well as fatty infiltration of skeletal muscle(Cruz-Jentoft & Sayer, 2019; Damluji et al, 2023). Muscle anabolic resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and degenerative changes in the nervous system play important roles in the development of the disease(Damluji et al, 2023).…”