Table 1.
Proposed operational definitions of sarcopenia
| Criteria | Muscle mass | Muscle function | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muscle strength | Physical performance | ||||
| Baumgartner criteria [4] | Sarcopenia | ASM/ ht2 > 2 SD below young healthy mean | x | x | |
| European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Special Interest Groups (ESPEN-SIG) [7] | Sarcopenia | Percentage of muscle mass ≥2 SD below mean in young adults of the same sex and ethnic background (individuals aged 18–39 years in the NHANES III cohort) | x | Gait speed: <0.8 m/s or Reduced performance in any functional test used for comprehensive geriatric assessment | |
| European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) [8] | Sarcopenia | ALM/ht2 | Grip strength | OR | Gait speed: <0.8 m/s |
| - Men: ≤7.23 kg/m2 | - Men: <30 kg | ||||
| - Women: ≤5.67 kg/m2 | - Women: <20 kg | ||||
| Severe sarcopenia | AND | ||||
| International Working Group on Sarcopenia (IWGS) [9] | Sarcopenia | ALM/ht2 | x | Gait speed: <1.0 m/s | |
| - Men: ≤7.23 kg/m2 | |||||
| - Women: ≤5.67 kg/m2 | |||||
| Society of Sarcopenia, Cachexia and Wasting Disorders [10] | Sarcopenia with limited mobility | ALM/ht2 > of 2 SD below the mean of healthy persons aged 20–30 years of the same ethnic group | x | Gait speed: ≤1.0 m/s or Walking distance < 400 m during a 6-min walk | |
| Foundation of NIH Sarcopenia Project [11] | Weakness and low lean mass | ALMBMI | Grip strength | x | |
| - Men: <0.789 | - Men: <26 kg | ||||
| - Women: <0.512 | - Women: <16 kg | ||||
| Slowness with weakness and low lean mass | AND | Gait speed: ≤0.8 m/s | |||
ASM/ ht2 = ratio of appendicular skeletal muscle mass over height squared; ALM/ht2 = ratio of appendicular lean mass over height squared; ALMBMI = ratio of appendicular lean mass over body mass index; SD standard deviation.