Background: Sarcopenia seems to be an emerging health issue worldwide, concerning the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass, accompanied by adverse outcomes. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory respiratory condition that is widespread in the world, affecting approximately 8% of adults. Although data are scarce, we aim to shed light on the potential association between low muscle mass and asthma and point out any probable negative feedback on each other.
Methods: We searched within the PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar databases.
Study selections: Three studies were included in our analysis. Only original studies written in English were included, while the references of the research articles were thoroughly examined for more relevant studies. Moreover, animal model studies were excluded.
Results: 2% to 17% of asthmatics had sarcopenia according to the existent literature. Sarcopenic asthmatic patients seem to have reduced lung function, while their mortality risk may be increased. Furthermore, patients with asthma- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap syndrome phenotype and sarcopenia might have a higher risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis progression, leading consequently to an increased risk of fractures and disability.
Conclusions: Emerging data support that pulmonologists should be aware of the sarcopenia concept and be prepared to evaluate the existence of low muscle mass in their asthmatic patients.
Keywords: asthma; inflammation; low muscle mass; respiratory disease; sarcopenia.