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. 2023 Apr 17;13(5):841–853. doi: 10.1016/j.jceh.2023.04.002

Table 4.

Assessment of Sarcopenia.

Test Method Reference ranges for sarcopenia
Anthropometric measurements
Mid-upper arm circumference Circumference at halfway point between the olecranon process and acromion while arm is bent at 90° <22.5 cm
Skin-fold thickness Calliper on posterior aspect of arm, halfway between olecranon process and acromion, measured to the nearest 0.1 mm Variable dependent on age and sex
Calf circumference Maximum circumference of calf of lower nondominant leg bent at 90° <31 cm
Physical performance assessment and muscle strength
Grip strength
  • -

    Dynamometer in dominant hand with base resting in the palm

  • -

    Maximal isometric effort for 5 s

 Men: <27 kg
Women: <16 kg
Chair stand Time needed to rise from seated five times >15 s for five rises
Timed Get Up-and-Go (TGUG) test Time needed to rise from seated and walk 3 m away and back with return to seated ≥20 s
Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)
  • -

    Time to walk 4 m

  • -

    Feet in a parallel paired position for 10 s

  • -

    Feet in a parallel nonpaired position for 10 s

  • -

    Chair stand as above – Each component scored on a scale of 0–4 with 0 equating to test failure and 4 equating to full achievement
Stair Climb Power Test (SCPT)
  • -

    Timed climb of a flight of stairs (4–11 stairs)

  • -

    Calculated in watts using equation

 Age dependent
Liver frailty index
  • -

    Grip strength

  • -

    Timed chair stands

  • -

    Balance testing

 Gender dependent
Skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) Dividing limb skeletal muscle mass (kg) by square of height (m2) Low muscle mass SMI <7.0 kg/m2 in males, <5.7 kg/m2 in females