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Biomarkers for physical frailty and sarcopenia

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Abstract

Physical frailty (PF) and sarcopenia are major health issues in geriatric populations, given their high prevalence and association with several adverse outcomes. Nevertheless, the lack of an univocal operational definition for the two conditions has so far hampered their clinical implementation. Existing definitional ambiguities of PF and sarcopenia, together with their complex underlying pathophysiology, also account for the absence of robust biomarkers that can be used for screening, diagnostic and/or prognostication purposes. This review provides an overview of currently available biological markers for PF and sarcopenia, as well as a critical appraisal of strengths and weaknesses of traditional procedures for biomarker development in the field. A novel approach for biomarker identification and validation, based on multivariate methodologies, is also discussed. This strategy relies on the multidimensional modeling of complementary biomarkers to cope with the phenotypical and pathophysiological complexity of PF and sarcopenia. Biomarkers identified through the implementation of multivariate strategies may be used to support the detection of the two conditions, track their progression over time or in response to interventions, and reveal the onset of complications (e.g., mobility disability) at a very early stage.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by a grant from the Innovative Medicines Initiative–Joint Undertaking (IMI–JU 115621). The work was also partly supported by the “Centro Studi Achille e Linda Lorenzon” (E.M., R.C.), Fondazione Roma (NCDs Call for Proposals 2013; A.P., E.M., R.C.), and intramural research grants from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (D3.2 2013 and D3.2 2015; E.M., F.L., M.T., R.C.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart School of Medicine, Teaching Hospital “Agostino Gemelli”, L.go F. Vito 8, 00168, Rome, Italy

    Riccardo Calvani, Matteo Tosato, Anna Picca, Roberto Bernabei, Francesco Landi & Emanuele Marzetti

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy

    Federico Marini

  3. Gérontopôle, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse, France

    Matteo Cesari

  4. Université de Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France

    Matteo Cesari

  5. Innovative Clinical Trials, Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), Göttingen, Germany

    Stefan D. Anker & Stephan von Haehling

  6. Muscle Metabolism Discovery Performance Unit, Metabolic Pathways and Cardiovascular Therapeutic Area, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

    Ram R. Miller

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  1. Riccardo Calvani
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Correspondence to Emanuele Marzetti.

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Conflict of interest

The authors of this work, with the exception of Anna Picca and Federico Marini, are partners of the SPRINTT Consortium, which is partly funded by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). E.M. served as a consultant for Huron Consulting Group, Genactis, and Novartis. M.C. served as a consultant for and/or received honoraria for scientific presentations from Nestlé. S.A. and S.v.H. received consultant honoraria from Thermo Fisher Scientific, Solartium Dietetics, Professional Dietetics, and Pfizer.

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Calvani, R., Marini, F., Cesari, M. et al. Biomarkers for physical frailty and sarcopenia. Aging Clin Exp Res 29, 29–34 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0708-1

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