Sarkopenie – die Skelettmuskelerkrankung des Alters

Fast jede fünfte Frau und jeder zehnte Mann im Alter über 80 Jahren leidet unter einem pathologischen generalisierten und fortschreitenden Verlust der Skelettmuskelkraft und -masse, einer Sarkopenie. Diese führt zu einem über 3-fach erhöhten Sturzrisiko und folglich zu einer Einschränkung der Lebensqualität und erhöhten Mortalität. Die Task Force der „International Conference on Sarcopenia and Frailty Research“ empfiehlt ein Screening der über 65-Jährigen auf Sarkopenie, um die Erkrankung möglichst früh zu erkennen. Eine Kombination aus Training und Ernährungsanpassung ist eine sinnvolle Präventionsmöglichkeit und die bislang einzige etablierte Therapieoption.

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
18. Juli 2025

• Literatur

• 1 Rosenberg IH. Summary comments: epidemiological and methodological problems in determining nutritional status of older persons. Am J Clin Nutr 1989; 50: 1231-1233
• 2 Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Baeyens JP, Bauer JM. et al. Sarcopenia: European consensus on definition and diagnosis: Report of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. Age Ageing 2010; 39: 412-423
• 3 Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Bahat G, Bauer J. et al. Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis. Age Ageing 2019; 48: 16-31
• 4 Phillips A, Strobl R, Vogt S. et al. Sarcopenia is associated with disability status – results from the KORA-Age study. Osteoporos Int 2017; 28: 2069-2079
• 5 Wu G. The relation between age-related changes in neuromusculoskeletal system and dynamic postural responses to balance disturbance. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 1998; 53: M320-M326
• 6 Landi F, Liperoti R, Russo A. et al. Sarcopenia as a risk factor for falls in elderly individuals: results from the ilSIRENTE study. Clin Nutr 2012; 31: 652-658
• 7 Steffl M, Bohannon RW, Sontakova L. et al. Relationship between sarcopenia and physical activity in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Interv Aging 2017; 12: 835-845
• 8 Cawthon PM, Lui L-Y, Taylor BC. et al. Clinical Definitions of Sarcopenia and Risk of Hospitalization in Community-Dwelling Older Men: The Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2017; 72: 1383-1389
• 9 Stangl MK, Böcker W, Chubanov V. et al. Sarcopenia – Endocrinological and Neurological Aspects. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2019; 127: 8-22
• 10 Argilés JM, Anker SD, Evans WJ. et al. Consensus on cachexia definitions. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2010; 11: 229-230
• 11 Lexell J, Tylor CC, Sjöström M. What is the cause of the ageing atrophy? Total number, size and proportion of different fiber types studied in whole vastus lateralis muscle from 15- to 83-year-old men. J Neurol Sci 1988; 84: 275-294
• 12 Tanganelli F, Meinke P, Hofmeister F. et al. Type-2 muscle fiber atrophy is associated with sarcopenia in elderly men with hip fracture. Exp Gerontol 2021; 144: 111171
• 13 Reid KF, Fiedling RA. Skeletal muscle power: A critical determinant of physical functioning in older adults. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 2012; 40: 4-12
• 14 Shaw SC, Dennison EM, Cooper C. Epidemiology of Sarcopenia: Determinants Throughout the Lifecourse. Calcif Tissue Int 2017; 101: 229-247
• 15 Mitchell WK, Williams J, Atherton P. et al. Sarcopenia, dynapenia, and the impact of advancing age on human skeletal muscle size and strength; a quantitative review. Front Physiol 2012; 3: 260
• 16 Verdijk LB, Koopman R, Schaart G. et al. Satellite cell content is specifically reduced in type II skeletal muscle fibers in the elderly. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2007; 292: E151-E157
• 17 Narici MV, Mafulli N. Sarcopenia: characteristics, mechanisms and functional significance. Br Med Bull 2010; 95: 139-159
• 18 Montero-Fernández N, Serra-Rexach JA. Role of exercise on sarcopenia in the elderly. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med 2013; 49: 131-143
• 19 Kurth BM. Erste Ergebnisse aus der „Studie zur Gesundheit Erwachsener in Deutschland“ (DEGS). Bundesgesundheistblatt 2012; 55: 980-990
• 20 Bauer J, Biolo G, Cederholm T. et al. Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2013; 14: 542-559
• 21 Moore DR, Churchward-Venne TA, Witard O. et al. Protein ingestion to stimulate myofibrillar protein synthesis requires greater relative protein intakes in healthy older versus younger men. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2015; 70: 57-62
• 22 Cederholm T, Jensen GL, Correia MITD. et al. GLIM criteria for the diagnosis of malnutrition – A consensus report from the global clinical nutrition community. Clin Nutr 2019; 38: 1-9
• 23 Peters A. The selfish brain: Competition for energy resources. Am J Hum Biol 2011; 23: 29-34
• 24 Clark DJ, Patten C, Reid KF. et al. Muscle performance and physical function are associated with voluntary rate of neuromuscular activation in older adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2011; 66: 115-121
• 25 Vitale G, Cesari M, Mari D. Aging of the endocrine system and its potential impact on sarcopenia. Eur J Intern Med 2016; 35: 10-15
• 26 Dent E, Morley JE, Cruz-Jentoft AJ. et al. International Clinical Practice Guidelines for Sarcopenia (ICFSR): Screening, Diagnosis and Management. J Nutr Health Aging 2018; 22: 1148-1161
• 27 Drey M, Ferrari U, Schraml M. et al. German Version of SARC-F: Translation, Adaption, and Validation. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2020; 21: 747-751.e1
• 28 Sergi G, De Rui M, Veronese N. et al. Assessing appendicular skeletal muscle mass with bioelectrical impedance analysis in free-living Caucasian older adults. Clin Nutr 2015; 34: 667-673
• 29 Drey M, Schmidmaier R. Osteosarkopenie [Osteosarcopenia]. Internist (Berl) 2021; 62: 505-512
• 30 Drey M, Henkel M, Petermeise S. et al. Assessment of Bone and Muscle Measurements by Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography in Geriatric Patients. J Clin Densitom 2020; 23: 604-610
• 31 Hernlund E, Svedbom A, Ivergard M. et al. Osteoporosis in the European Union: medical management, epidemiology and economic burden. A report prepared in collaboration with the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry Associations (EFPIA). Arch Osteoporos 2013; 8: 136
• 32 Di Monaco M, Castiglioni C, De Toma E. et al. Presarcopenia and sarcopenia in hip-fracture women: prevalence and association with ability to function in activities of daily living. Aging Clin Exp Res 2015; 27: 465-472
• 33 Isaacson J, Brotto M. Physiology of Mechanotransduction: How Do Muscle and Bone “Talk” to One Another?. Clin Rev Bone Miner Metab 2014; 12: 77-85
• 34 Fiatarone MA, Marks EC, Ryan ND. et al. High-intensity strength training in nonagenarians. Effects on skeletal muscle. JAMA 1990; 263: 3029-3034
• 35 Pietsch A, Hartinger E, Riepenhof H. Effekte enes Multimodalen Therapieprogramms bei Patienten mit Rückenbeschwerden zur Prävention der Sarkopenie. (Effects of a Multimodal Therapy Program in Patients with Back Pain for the Prevention of Sarcopenia). Physikalische Medizin Rehabilitationsmedizin Kurortmedizin 2019; 29: 199-205
• 36 Corcoran MP, Nelson ME, Sacheck JM. et al. Recruitment of Mobility Limited Older Adults Into a Facility-Led Exercise-Nutrition Study: The Effect of Social Involvement. Gerontologist 2016; 56: 669-676
• 37 Beaudart C, Zaaria M, Pasleau F. et al. Health Outcomes of Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS One 2017; 12: e0169548
• 38 Cardon-Thomas DK, Riviere T, Tieges Z. et al. Dietary Protein in Older Adults: Adequate Daily Intake but Potential for Improved Distribution. Nutrients 2017; 9: 184
• 39 Ikizler TA, Cano NJC, Franch H. et al. International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism. Prevention and treatment of protein energy wasting in chronic kidney disease patients: a consensus statement by the International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism. Kidney Int 2013; 84: 1096-1107
• 40 Bauer JM, Verlaan S, Bautmans I. et al. Effects of a vitamin D and leucine-enriched whey protein nutritional supplement on measures of sarcopenia in older adults, the PROVIDE study: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2015; 16: 740-747
• 41 Peterson MD, Sen AS, Gordon PM. Influence of resistance exercise on lean body mass in aging adults: a meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2011; 43: 249-258