Dr. med. Jürgen M. Bauer
Duration: 1 January 2007 - 31 December 2008
Center: Chair of Internal Medicine V - Geriatrics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Research project
Nutritional and inflammation parameters of sarcopenia and their relevance for muscle function in the elderly.
Sarcopenia is defined as age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. Depending on the definition used, prevalence is found to be around 12% among the under-70s and around 30% among the over-80s. There is currently a lack of consensus as to whether sarcopenia is part of the natural process of ageing or is primarily a secondary phenomenon of multiple comorbidities. Advanced sarcopenia creates a high risk of functional deficits and consequential significant consumption of healthcare resources.
Project
The aim of this project, which will be carried out in collaboration with a network of researchers from a variety of disciplines (geriatrics, neurology with a focus on muscle disorders, sports science, and laboratory medicine), is to obtain new insights into the pathophysiology of sarcopenia.
Collaborating centers
- “Institut für Sportwissenschaft und Sport” (Institute for Sports Science and Sports), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Prof. Dr. K. Pfeifer)
- Friedrich-Baur-Institut at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (PD Dr. B. Schoser)
- “Deutsches Herzzentrum München” (German Heart Centre Munich) (Dr. Braun)
- “Institut für Biomedizin des Alterns” (Institute for the Biomedicine of Ageing), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Dr. B. Fischer)
Main proposal
To link the micro and the macro levels in individuals with sarcopenia
Research questions
What is the relationship between humoral parameters (cytokines), structural findings at the cellular and subcellular levels (myocytes), and the functional status of older people with sarcopenia?
Do new methods of evaluation permit more accurate conclusions regarding the muscle function of older people than established methods such as the hand-grip and timed up-and-go tests?
What is the relationship between nutritional parameters and the degree of sarcopenia?
How do functional independence and morbidity evolve in sarcopenic patients?
Procedure
The participants in the study will be recruited from the patients of the geriatric day clinic at Klinikum Nürnberg. Diagnosis of sarcopenia will be made by DEXA measurement in accordance with Janssen’s criteria (1). In addition to functional tests (e.g., the GAITRite® system, isometric force measurement, muscle reaction time, and electromechanical delay), we will carry out blood tests (including cytokines and micronutrients) and – on the basis of bioptic muscle tissue – will also determine the activities of respiratory chain enzymes and conduct electromicroscopic structural analyses at the myocytic level. Moreover, the eating habits of the participants will be carefully documented.