Sarcopenia: the ‘hidden’ marker of surgical outcome

Sarcopenia is a serious disease and should be taken seriously

“…Sarcopenia diagnostics are not yet widely implemented in clinical practice despite clear clinical guidelines 12 . This is mainly due to a lack of knowledge, equipment, time and prioritization to diagnose sarcopenia and treat this disease 6,13,14 . Often, healthcare professionals wish to screen and diagnose sarcopenia in a simplified and fast way; therefore, the use of risk screening tools and blood biomarkers has been investigated, but their validity is limited.…”

“…5 Since then, expert groups have published a diagnostic algorithm. 1 As stated by Wong et al in this issue, the latest consensus by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia (EWGSOP2) uses low muscle strength as the primary parameter of sarcopenia 6 and not muscle mass, which is also an important determinant of physical function, such as activities of daily living. 7 Muscle mass can be accurately measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), 8,9 but also by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scanning.…”

“…12 This is mainly due to a lack of knowledge, equipment, time and prioritization to diagnose sarcopenia and treat this disease. 6,13,14 Often, healthcare professionals wish to screen and diagnose sarcopenia in a simplified and fast way; therefore, the use of risk screening tools and blood biomarkers has been investigated, but their validity is limited. Neither the screening tool SARC-F nor its adapted versions have sufficient accuracy to be implemented for clinical care.…”