Sarcopenia in general practice: Towards improving muscle health screening, assessment and management in Australia.

Aust J Gen Pract

PhD, FRACP, FRCP, MBBS, LTCL, Associate Professor, Adelaide Geriatrics Training and Research with Aged Care Centre, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA; Associate Professor, Aged and Extended Care Services, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, SA; President, Australian and New Zealand Society for Sarcopenia and Frailty Research, Adelaide, SA.

Published: October 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • Sarcopenia affects about 20% of Australians over 60, leading to significant health risks and costs due to loss of muscle mass and strength, yet it's often overlooked in healthcare.
  • In July 2023, Australian healthcare and research leaders met to discuss challenges in screening and managing sarcopenia in routine practice.
  • Proposed strategies to enhance muscle health management include raising public awareness, improving professional education, providing resources, advocating for better policies, and fostering collaboration among healthcare stakeholders.

Article Abstract

Background: An estimated one in five Australians aged 60 years and older have sarcopenia, marked by progressive and accelerated loss in muscle mass, strength and function. Sarcopenia is associated with considerable healthcare costs and a myriad of adverse health outcomes, including increased risk of death. Despite its clinical importance, muscle health is often overlooked in routine clinical practice, hindering diagnosis and treatment.

Objective: In July 2023, eight representatives from Australia's primary care and research communities convened to discuss barriers to sarcopenia screening, assessment and management within routine clinical practice. Solutions were proposed to improve the implementation of muscle health assessment and management in general practice. This article summarises the key discussions and outcomes from this meeting.

Discussion: Strategies to improve the implementation of muscle health assessment and management in general practice include (1) improving public awareness; (2) professional education; (3) provision of tools and resources; (4) advocacy and policy; and (5) increasing collaborative efforts between healthcare professionals, professional societies, universities, electronic medical record software vendors and the government.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.31128/AJGP-12-23-7062DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

muscle health
16
assessment management
16
general practice
12
screening assessment
8
routine clinical
8
clinical practice
8
improve implementation
8
implementation muscle
8
health assessment
8
management general
8

Similar Publications

Precision medicine using molecular-target drugs in psoriatic arthritis.

Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis

January 2025

The First Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahata-nishi, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) presents various clinical manifestations, including skin lesions, peripheral arthritis, axial involvement, enthesitis, nail involvement, dactylitis, and uveitis. In addition, it causes a high incidence of lifestyle-related diseases and an increase in cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events. As the pathology of PsA has been clarified, molecular-targeted drugs targeting tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-17A/F, IL-17 receptor, IL-12/23(p40), IL-23p19, Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte Antigen-4 (CTLA-4), Janus kinase, and phosphodiesterase-4 have been developed and are widely used in clinical practice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

OTUB2 contributes to vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease via the YAP-mediated transcription of PFKFB3.

Theranostics

January 2025

Department of Nephrology, Jiangsu Province Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global public health issue, with vascular calcification (VC) being a common and deadly complication. Despite its prevalence, the underlying mechanisms of VC remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether and how Otubain-2 (OTUB2) contributes to VC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Soft tissue injury in open fracture of the lower extremity represents a challenging trauma that requires complex strategies to reconstruct both bony and soft tissue defects. Various options are available to cover the soft tissue defect in the lower extremities, from simple skin grafting to local fasciocutaneous and muscle flaps. However, when the injury is extensive and involves a large surface area, options for treatment of local flap coverage become limited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: This article presents the fourth detection of macroscopic cystic lesions due to sarcocystosis in domestic pigs during routine meat inspection worldwide, and the first molecular detection of in a domestic pig in Poland. Pigs can become intermediate hosts for by accidental ingestion of oocysts or sporocysts present in food or water contaminated by the faeces of canids (definitive hosts).

Material And Methods: The affected swine showed no clinical symptoms such as weight loss, dermatitis or dyspnoea suggesting sarcocystosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Firefighters are routinely exposed to significant work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) which can sometimes be career-ending due to the workplace stressors and the physical demands of the job. Shoulder disorders are the third most frequent WRMSDs that cause pain, disability, and morbidity in the general working population. However, little is known about the task-specific causes and risk factors for work-related shoulder disorders (WSDs) among firefighters (FFs).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!