[Sarcopenia].

The term sarcopenia stands for the age-related loss of muscle mass and is pahophysiologically closely linked to the "frailty syndrome". The search for sarcopenia - the combination of both a muscle loss and a reduced muscle function or strength - is nowadays part of the comprehensive geriatric assessment in Geriatric Medicine. From a pahophysiological point of view, different factors are involved as in all geriatric snydromes, but a low-grade inflammatory state is a cornerstone in all of them. Differentiation to cachexia is important, as the latter is not as amenable to treatment strategies. Many questions including the international full acceptance of the defintition of sarcopenia remain open. A good example is sarcoepnic obesity, a quantitatively fast increasing challenge in elderly persons.