Musculoskeletal system >>>> Sarcopenia - what is it?
Sarcopenia - what is it?
Age-related changes, despite the general normal state of health, affect muscle tissue. Atrophic changes in muscle tissue in old age are called "sarcopenia".
Sarcopenia, although it is an age-related feature of the body, is not manifested in all people.
The causes of sarcopenia lie in the area of the endocrine system, or rather hormonal changes that affect protein synthesis in the human body itself. With age, a person does not lose the ability to assimilate protein compounds from food, but those protein compounds that the body itself synthesizes from replenished amino acids, which are also supplied with food, are no longer enough to maintain the required level of muscle mass.
Sarcopenia can develop with several properties:
- decrease in muscle mass without loss of muscle performance;
- decrease in muscle mass with a slight loss of muscle function (decrease in strength);
- a decrease in muscle mass with a significant loss of muscle function (a critical condition leading to a decrease in motor activity).
Age-related degenerative changes in muscle tissue speak of diseases that are characterized by weight loss, a decrease in bone tissue, vitamin D deficiency, disorders in the gastrointestinal tract (impaired absorption of food components).
Walking speed tests can help diagnose sarcopenia. Walking speed with sarcopenia is significantly reduced.
In the treatment of sarcopenia, a diet rich in protein foods is fundamental. Vitamin complexes with an increased dosage of vitamin D and calcium will help to strengthen bone tissue, the condition of which is an integral part of the health of the entire musculoskeletal system. In case of digestive disorders, protein compounds are not taken orally, but in the form of intravenous solutions. If necessary, hormonal correction is performed. A prerequisite for preventing the development of sarcopenia and slowing its progression is physical stress on the muscles, commensurate with the state of health of an elderly person.
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