Sarcopenia, what it is: symptoms and treatment of the disease

What is sarcopenia? Pathology involving the muscular system, involves a gradual loss of autonomy: symptoms and causes.

Sarcopenia is a disease that mainly affects older people, but it can also occur in young people. Let's see what it is, what the symptoms and treatment are, as well as the life expectancy of a patient who receives a diagnosis of this type.

Sarcopenia: causes

Sarcopenia, by definition, is a disease that causes a gradual loss of muscle mass . The person who is affected, therefore, finds it difficult to move and, slowly, his daily activities are completely compromised. The disease, therefore, could lead to disability and increase the risk of falls and consequent fractures. There are several causes of sarcopenia:

• aging;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• forced immobility;
• advanced organ failure (heart, lung, liver, kidney, or brain);
• inflammatory diseases;
• malignant tumors;
• endocrine diseases;
• incorrect nutrition, with inadequate energy and / or protein intake.

Sarcopenia in the elderly is more common, but it could also occur in young people, starting from 30 years. In cases like these, the disease gradually increases, with serious worsening only in old age.

Sarcopenia: symptoms and treatment

The symptoms of sarcopenia are clear: constant weakness, loss of stamina, a tendency to fall, poor balance, slow pace and difficulty in performing any task. Consequently, the patient is not very autonomous. The disease also affects bone aging to an important extent, favoring the onset of osteoporosis . As far as treatment is concerned, early diagnosis is essential, especially for the patient's quality of life. Therapy, and consequent life expectancy, largely depend on the degree of the disease.

In case of doubt, therefore, the first thing to do is to contact your general practitioner, who will recommend a specialist visit. Remember that early diagnosis allows for less loss of muscle mass and a noticeable slowdown in all the consequences of the disease.