Assessment of muscle mass, muscle strength and physical performance in clinical practice: An international survey

Introduction: Several tools are available for the assessment of muscle mass, muscle strength and physical
performance in clinical research. However, few data are available on the usage of these tools in clinical
practice.
Methods: This study aimed to assess their usage by means of a large online international survey. Since
sarcopenia is a specific condition where the assessment of muscle mass, muscle strength and physical
performance is important, the survey also assessed the tools used for the diagnosis of this geriatric
syndrome.
Results: The survey was completed by 255 clinicians from 55 countries across 5 continents. Among these
clinicians with geriatrics, rheumatology and endocrinology as major fields of interest, 53.3% assess
muscle mass in daily practice, 54.5% muscle strength and 71.4% physical performance. However, the
tools used are very different and no single tool is used by all clinicians. The tools and the cut-off values
used by clinicians to diagnose sarcopenia are also heterogeneous.
Conclusion: Because some tools used for the assessment of muscle mass, muscle strength or physical
performance in daily practice are less validated than others, a greater awareness from the clinicians of
the importance of using appropriate tools is needed