Sarcopenia in Chronic Kidney Disease Authors

Correspondence to: Viviane Angelina de Souza. Federal University of Juiz de Fora. Rua Padre Café, no 472/801, São Mateus. Juiz de Fora, MG, Brasil. CEP: 36016-450. E-mail: [email protected] The loss of muscle mass in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is considered an important complicating factor, contributing to a sedentary lifestyle and compromising cardiovascular health due to increased morbimortality.1 This is of great relevance because CKD is a serious public health problem. In Brazil, it is estimated that the prevalence and incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is 405 and 144 patients per one million inhabitants, respectively.2 Aging is associated with sarcopenia and increased CKD prevalence. It is important to emphasize that both sarcopenia as uremia are progressive diseases, which contribute to maximizing morbidity and raise healthcare costs. The term uremic sarcopenia seems more appropriate to describe the process of progressive and cumulative loss of muscle mass that occurs in CKD, thus becoming a priority therapeutic target towards prevention and treatment of muscle wasting in these patients.3 Sarcopenia occurs in all CKD stages and the more severe the loss of renal function, the greater the risk of sarcopenia. Foley et al.,4 assessed patients in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), and they found an