Quality of life in sarcopenia and frailty.

René Rizzoli (1) , Jean-Yves Reginster (2) , Jean-François Arnal (3) , Ivan Bautmans (4) , Charlotte Beaudart (2) , Heike Bischoff-Ferrari (5) , Emmanuel Biver (1) , Steven Boonen (6) , Maria-Luisa Brandi (7) , Arkadi Chines (8) , Cyrus Cooper (9) , Sol Epstein (10) , Roger A. Fielding (11) , Bret Goodpaster (12) , John A. Kanis (11) , Jean-Marc Kaufman (13) , Andrea Laslop (14) , Vincenzo Malafarina (15) , Leocadio Rodriguez Mañas (16) , Bruce H. Mitlak (17) , Richard O. Oreffo (18) , Jean Petermans (19) , Kieran Reid (20) , Yves Rolland (18) , Avan Aihie Sayer (21) , Yannis Tsouderos (22) , Marjolein Visser (23) , Olivier Bruyère (2)

1 Service of Bone Diseases
2 Department of Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics
3 I2MC - Institut des Maladies Métaboliques et Cardiovasculaires
4 Gerontology and Frailty in Ageing Research Department
5 Centre on Aging and Mobility
6 Division of Geriatric Medicine
7 Department of Internal Medicine
8 General Endocrinology
9 Nutrition, Exercise Physiology and Sarcopenia Laboratory
10 Division of Endocrinology
11 WHO Collaborating Centre for Metabolic Bone Diseases
12 Department of Medicine
13 Department of Endocrinology
14 Department of Geriatrics
15 Department of Geriatrics
16 Bone and Joint Research Group
17 Lilly Research Laboratories
18 Gérontopôle
19 Service of Geriatrics
20 Pharmacology & Toxicology
21 MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit
22 Développement Thérapeutique
23 Department of Health Sciences

The reduced muscle mass and impaired muscle performance that define sarcopenia in older individuals are associated with increased risk of physical limitation and a variety of chronic diseases. They may also contribute to clinical frailty. A gradual erosion of quality of life (QoL) has been evidenced in these individuals, although much of this research has been done using generic QoL instruments, particularly the SF-36, which may not be ideal in older populations with significant comorbidities. This review and report of an expert meeting presents the current definitions of these geriatric syndromes (sarcopenia and frailty). It then briefly summarizes QoL concepts and specificities in older populations and examines the relevant domains of QoL and what is known concerning QoL decline with these conditions. It calls for a clearer definition of the construct of disability, argues that a disease-specific QoL instrument for sarcopenia/frailty would be an asset for future research, and discusses whether there are available and validated components that could be used to this end and whether the psychometric properties of these instruments are sufficiently tested. It calls also for an approach using utility weighting to provide some cost estimates and suggests that a time trade-off study could be appropriate.

René Rizzoli, Jean-Yves Reginster, Jean-François Arnal, Ivan Bautmans, Charlotte Beaudart, et al.. Quality of life in sarcopenia and frailty.. Calcified Tissue International, 2013, 93 (2), pp.101-20. ⟨10.1007/s00223-013-9758-y⟩. ⟨inserm-01015335⟩