Research

Mixed

The prevalence of severe sarcopenia ranges from 2% to 9% globally, with higher rates observed in European studies using EWGSOP criteria compared to Asian/Oceanic studies using other classifications.

Severe sarcopenia, which combines low muscle mass with poor physical performance (like slow gait speed), affects 2-9% of the population depending on how it is measured. It is a stronger predictor of mortality than sarcopenia alone, so early identification using standardized performance tests is critical.

GoodSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Finally, the prevalence of severe sarcopenia ranged from 2% to 9%.
Fanny Petermann‐Rocha et al. · Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle · 2021

Why this rating

Based on meta-analysis of 24 studies reporting severe sarcopenia, though fewer studies than general sarcopenia.

Source

Global prevalence of sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Fanny Petermann‐Rocha et al. · Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle · 2021

DOI 10.1002/jcsm.12783

Meta-analysis · 151 studiesCited 1,387×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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