A new article published in Geriatrics & Gerontology International reported that elderly patients show a high incidence of aspiration pneumonia. The authors elaborated that the main cause of aspiration pneumonia in this population is impairments in the swallowing and cough reflexes. Hence, new strategies are necessary for the management of aspiration pneumonia. Sarcopenia causes loss of muscle strength and declining physical function with aging. Recently, a decrease in mass or strength of swallowing muscles was suggested to be associated with a reduced swallowing function – dysphagia thus caused, was termed sarcopenic dysphagia. Meanwhile, strong cough prevents aspiration pneumonia, and its strength is regulated by respiratory muscles. This article stated that sarcopenia is a risk factor for pneumonia in older people, and aspiration pneumonia in patients with low muscle mass show high mortality rates. Associations between respiratory muscle strength and pneumonia are currently under investigation. It was inferred that the evaluation and management of sarcopenia could potentially become a new strategy to prevent and treat pneumonia in geriatric patients as newer studies are on way.

Source: Okazaki T, Ebihara S, Mori T, Izumi S, Ebihara T. Association between sarcopenia and pneumonia in older people. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2019. doi:10.1111/ggi.13839