Sarcopenia and COVID-19 in the elderly – summary of recommendations for diagnosis and treatment

Abstract:

COVID-19 is an infectious disease, in some patients characterized by a severe inflammatory response. Hospitalized COVID-19 patients often significantly lose muscle mass and muscle function, i.e. acutely develop sarcopenia due to the catabolic effect of severe inflammatory reaction, medications used during the treatment, and physical inactivity, regardless of the age. Poor nutrition status, aggravated by COVID-19 symptoms, is often present in elderly patients as soon as upon hospital admission and plays an essential role in developing sarcopenia. To a certain extent, both poor nutrition status and sarcopenia are preventable risk factors for the development of severe COVID-19. Thus, this review aims to investigate in depth the association of sarcopenia and COVID-19 in elderly, summarizing the recommendations regarding sarcopenia diagnostics during the COVID-19 pandemic, and therapeutic interventions that can improve the outcome in COVID-19 patients.

Key words:
COVID-19; nutrition status; sarcopenia