Sarcopenia is a progressive skeletal muscle disease characterized by a decline in muscle strength, physical performance, and muscle mass or quality, which increases the risk of falls, disability, and mortality in older adults. The aim of this doctoral dissertation was to evaluate selected indicators of muscle quality for the classification of sarcopenia, with a particular focus on TMG parameters. In the first study, we examined the prevalence of sarcopenia among Slovenian older adults using different classification criteria and identified risk and protective factors. Prevalence ranged between 2.1 % and 15.3 % and varied substantially depending on the criteria applied; higher age, lower physical activity, and the presence of comorbidities were associated with increased risk of sarcopenia. In the second study, we analyzed differences in TMG-derived contractile parameters between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic individuals. Sarcopenic participants demonstrated significantly altered parameters (longer Td and lower Dm), which were associated with muscle strength and functional performance tests. The third study showed that ultrasound-derived muscle architecture parameters were associated with sarcopenia classification. In the final study, we identified associations between TMG parameters and intramuscular fat content, indicating that TMG also reflects structural muscle changes. Overall, differences in contractile, architectural, and structural muscle parameters were observed between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic groups.
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