Muscle fatigue in the aged: relationships with Inflammation and clinical context.

Fatigue has been recognized as an important symptom of frailty in
geriatric patients. In the clinical context, muscle endurance can be evaluated
using a simple test based on the time during which grip strength
decreases to 50% of the maximum value during a sustained contraction.
In our recent studies we have explored the contributing factors for muscle
weakness, muscle endurance and self-perceived fatigue in community-
dwelling elderly persons, elderly nursing home residents, hospitalized
geriatric patients, and in elective abdominal surgery patients of
different age-categories. We have shown that muscle endurance, selfperceived
fatigue, mobility and inflammation are significantly interrelated
in elderly persons. Also, we found evidence that inflammationinduced
muscle weakness and muscle fatigue is due to local processes,
acting at the level of the muscle itself. This lecture will focus on the role
of inflammation on muscle weakness and fatigue in elderly patients.