April 23, 2015
Press release
What is Frailty & Sarcopenia?
Frailty is a clinical syndrome in which there is an increase in an individual’s vulnerability for developing increased dependency due to three or more of the following criteria: unintentional weight loss, self-reported exhaustion, weakness (grip strength), slow walking speed, and low physical activity. It is considered highly prevalent in old age and to confer high risk for falls, onset of disability, hospitalization, cognitive decline and mortality. Furthermore, Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome characterized by the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength with a risk of adverse outcomes (mainly mobility disability) for the patients.
Prevalence of Frailty & Sarcopenia
Older adults are classified in three main groups: robust older adults (60%), dependent older adults (10%), and frail older adults (30%). The frail older adults have a high risk of progressing to dependency but with correct intervention (mainly nutritional & physical exercise), frailty can be reversed to a robust state. Prevalence of Sarcopenia (one of the main components of Frailty) is roughly estimated at 15 to 30% in a general population, with a higher prevalence in frail older adults.
The role of nutrition and physical exercise
The two main interventions that have proven to successfully revert Frailty are: nutritional intervention, to obtain satisfactory nutritional status mainly with oral supplementation and physical exercising programs aiming at increasing muscle mass and muscle function. To date, no other intervention has proven to be successful.
The development of new ongoing treatments
The main line of development is in the field of biomarkers, identifying novel imaging techniques to better quantify loss of muscle mass, and in the field of drug development, using myostatin inhibitors and selective androgen receptor modulators.
The ICFSR2015, a special scientific event
The International Conference on Frailty and Sarcopenia Research 2015 (ICFSR2015) takes place from April 23-25, 2015 in Boston, MA, USA. The event is organized in collaboration with TUFTS University, Boston. After Toulouse (France) in 2011, Orlando (USA) in 2012, and Barcelona (Spain) in 2014, this fourth edition expects to welcome 500 participants from all over the world. Today the conference program includes 6 keynote lectures, 16 symposiums, 65 oral communications and 211 posters.
Aims of the ICFSR2015 conference
To:
- Identify, assess, explore and develop tools to delay the outcomes of these phenomena,
- Promote the implementation of Frailty and Sarcopenia into clinical practice and clinical research,
- Improve the related care in general hospital settings, nursing homes etc.,
- Empower the primary care physicians in the identification of the vulnerable older person with a view to preventing Frailty and Sarcopenia and all their consequences,
- Highlight the potential benefits of these findings for the aging population worldwide,
- Provide evidence for the establishment of an ICD code for Sarcopenia.
We look forward to welcoming you to Boston to communicate on the latest findings of the international scientific community, presented all through this three-day milestone.
For media representatives
For free registration, you can contact constance.de-seynes@univ-tlse3.fr or f.soula@celsius-net.com before the conference or call +33 (0)6 07 10 68 84 during the conference.
For the press release, visit the ICSFR conference website at www.frailty-sarcopenia.com.
For more information on the IAGG GARN Network, contact constance.de-seynes@univ-tlse3.fr or visit the IAGG GARN Network website at www.garn-network.org.