ABSTRACT
Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. This chapter will summarize physiological changes of muscle health with age that contribute to sarcopenia. Further, we describe the economic burden of sarcopenia driven by its consequences such as falls and frailty. Finally, we will summarize available definitions of sarcopenia and their comparative advantages and disadvantages. Our chapter concludes that capturing sarcopenia, ideally in an early stage, will have enormous public health benefits, and that the development of effective primary and secondary preventive treatments will depend on an international consensus on how to measure sarcopenia.
