key: cord-0904850-2xbpibi1
authors: Lee, Sang Yoon
title: Sarcopenia: A Geriatric Giant Facing a Huge Transition
date: 2021-03-15
journal: Ann Geriatr Med Res
DOI: 10.4235/agmr.21.0023
sha: 0edab617fb26a9ca141ea817ad2264f74c35a60f
doc_id: 904850
cord_uid: 2xbpibi1

nan

cal performance" based on the 6-Meter Walk Test and Short Physical Performance Battery. The development and evolution of efforts to more easily and accurately diagnose and classify sarcopenia in clinical practice are anticipated.

The first-line treatment for sarcopenia is exercise and nutritional intervention. Strong evidence supports the application of progressive resistance exercises suitable for older adults as well as targeted protein intake and provision of nutrition. 6,7) However, more reliable and sustainable interventions in geriatric medicine additionally require pharmacological interventions for sarcopenia. 8) Clinical trials of new drugs targeting multiple molecules are ongoing. The positive results of trials of myostatin inhibitors, selective androgen receptor modulators, and vitamin D targeting various sarcopenia phenotypes have been published. For instance, bimagrumab, a monoclonal antibody of activin receptor type 2B, has been reported in clinical trials targeting diseases such as inclusion body myositis 9) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 10) Finally, the results of an international multicenter clinical trial (38 sites in 13 countries) on the treatment of sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults were finally released in 2020. 11) While the sarcopenia drug treatments evaluated in clinical trials to date have the effect of increasing muscle mass, this increased mass did not lead to improved muscle strength or physical performance. But in the near future, science certainly expects to find the right answer.

In 2020, we faced the coronavirus disease 2020 pandemic, an unprecedented global infectious disease that continues to this day. As of February 2021, 113 million people worldwide have been confirmed to have COVID-19, with a mortality rate of approximately 2.22%. Older patients with COVID-19 complain of severe muscle weakness and poor physical function even after recovering from acute illness. 12, 13) In addition, strong social distancing and lockdowns implemented in almost all countries will further accelerate frailty in this population. Therefore, the phenomena we have experienced over the past year due to the pandemic have further increased the prevalence of sarcopenia in older adults; thus, clini-

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