Sarcopenia is a degenerative condition that primarily affects older adults and is defined by a pathological decline in muscle strength. A novel instrument has been created by researchers at the University of Barcelona to evaluate the existence and degree of this muscular degeneration. Anatomical and histological samples from patient samples were used to confirm the study’s muscle quality rating methodology, which is based on musculoskeletal ultrasound scans. It is the first imaging technique to evaluate muscle quality, a crucial aspect of the illness.
These findings may be helpful “not only for diagnostic purposes but also for patient monitoring in clinical practice and clinical trials,” the researchers claim.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Bellvitge Campus of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University at Buffalo, as well as the Unit of Human Anatomy and Embryology and the Histology Unit of the Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics. Participants in the study included specialists from the Puigvert Foundation, the University of Genoa, the University of Oslo, and the University of Denmark.
Sarcopenia is characterized by a decline in muscle mass and quality, which impairs quality of life, is linked to cardiorespiratory conditions, and increases the likelihood of longer hospital stays. In both practice and research, a wide variety of tests and technologies are currently accessible for illness characterisation.
In this situation, imaging methods are essential for the objective evaluation of sarcopenic patients. However, the majority of them, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), concentrate on the size of the muscles. “These approaches reveal the amount of muscle, but muscle quality—a relatively new concept—is more essential, as the number is quite varied due to many factors like age or height,” the author claims.
