HealthAugust 30, 2026

sarcopenic

sar-ko-PEE-nik

Definition

Relating to or affected by sarcopenia, the age-related or disease-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function.

Etymology

Derived from the Greek words 'sarx' (flesh) and 'penia' (poverty or lack), the term was coined to describe the clinical condition of muscle wasting.

In the news

In the article, the term describes how a patient might be classified based on low muscle mass measured via CT scans, which the researchers argue is a less effective predictor of survival than actual muscle function.

Muscle Health Emerges as Key Predictor of Cancer Patient Outcomes

Read the full article ↗

Bioengineer.org

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