JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

With the coming of aging society, the prevalence of sarcopenia increases rapidly. Sarcopenia is a progressive, generalized reduction in muscle mass, muscle strength, and physiological function accompany aging and it is a risk factor for many metabolic diseases. Previous studies found that immune cells take part in the whole process of muscle regeneration. Autoimmune diseases are a series of related diseases characterized by dysregulation of immune system, which could lead to inflammation and multi-tissue damage. Meanwhile, autoimmune diseases have a negative effect on the physiologic behavior of the skeletal muscles, which could exacerbate and accelerate the occurrence of sarcopenia. Among all of the autoimmune diseases, type 1 diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease are the three common immune diseases, and the interaction between them and sarcopenia is more likely to lead to adverse clinical outcomes, poor effects of drug treatment and prognosis, low quality of life, and the patients would under huge financial pressure. Thus, a comprehensive analysis of the relationships between the three autoimmune diseases and sarcopenia will help us better understand the potential mechanism, explore more effective treatments, guide clinical care and reduce complications. Moreover, it also provides new thinking for future scientific research.