Overview of Sarcopenia

Abstract

As the aging population progresses, the importance of age-related diseases and conditions increases. With aging, skeletal muscle mass decreases, but functional decline in walking speed and grip strength is also observed. Sarcopenia is a risk factor for decreased activities of daily living (ADL),frailty, falls and fractures, hospitalization, institutionalization, and death, and its diagnostic criteria have been established in Europe, the United States, and Asia. In recent years, the EWGSOP published revised diagnostic criteria in 2018, followed by the AWGS, which revised its diagnostic criteria in October 2019. In the fi eld of respiratory and esophageal diseases, the diagnosis and treatment of sarcopenia are becoming increasingly important with the aging of the population, and management of sarcopenia according to the established guidelines is necessary to improve the quality of treatment.