SARCOPENIA AND OVERLAPPING SYNDROMES: THEIR VALUE IN CLINICAL PRACTICE

Sarcopenia and overlapping syndromes, such as decrepitude and cachexia, are important medical and social problems due to their high prevalence and association with unfavorable outcomes. The article describes some issues of terminology, classification and differentiation of sarcopenia, decrepitude and cachexia, main diagnostic principles as well as different sarcopenia phenotypes (like sarco-osteoporosis sarcopenic and osteosarcopenic obesity). Identification of sarcopenia secondary forms associated with low physical activity, eating disorders or chronic illnesses (including inflammatory ones) was an important achievement for better understanding of the disease. Studying of sarcopenia in people with rheumatoid arthritis is a matter of particular interest.

sarcopenia, decrepitude, cachexia, osteoporosis, sarco-osteoporosis, sarcopenic obesity, osteosarcopenic obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, appendicular lean mass index, bone mineral density, myostatin