Exploring the Clinical and Pathophysiological Links between Sarcopenia and Liver Pathology

The modern understanding of sarcopenia proposes considering this condition not only as an age-related reduction in muscle mass and function, but also as a result of secondary damage caused by various chronic inflammatory and metabolic conditions. Research has shown that sarcopenia affects 25-70% of patients with chronic liver diseases, particularly men in Western populations. This condition leads to a deterioration in clinical outcomes and quality of life. Therefore, understanding the clinical and pathogenic relationships between sarcopenia and liver diseases is crucial for the development of new diagnostic strategies and therapeutic interventions, aimed at improving the functional status and increasing the life expectancy of affected patients. The purpose of this review is to analyze and present data from open access scientific sources on the clinical and pathophysiological relationships between sarcopenia and the most common liver diseases, as well as relevant therapeutic approaches to address these disorders. METHODS. Foreign and domestic scientific publications on this topic from the past 15 years were studied using electronic libraries such as PubMed, ScienceDirect and elibrary. CONCLUSION. The generalization and analysis of scientific information highlight the importance and relevance of this issue, emphasizing the need for further research on muscle tissue damage within the context of various pathogenic mechanisms occurring in chronic liver diseases. Sarcopenia has the potential to become a new therapeutic target in hepatology. Early detection and prevention may hold the most promising treatment strategy for patients with a range of liver diseases.