Sarcopenia, the lowered skeletal muscle mass, weakened skeletal muscle strength, and reduced physical performance with aging, is a component of
frailty and high-risk factor for falls, resulting in an increase in mortality. In
cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients, systemic
inflammation, oxidative stress, overactivation of
ubiquitin-
proteasome system, endothelial dysfunction, lowering muscle blood flow,
impaired glucose tolerance, hormonal changes, and physical inactivity possibly contribute to CVD-related
sarcopenia. Prevalence of
sarcopenia and osteosarcopenia, which is
osteopenia and
sarcopenia coexisting together, seems to be higher in CVD patients than in community-dwelling adults, suggesting the necessity of early diagnosis and prevention of CVD-related
sarcopenia. Atrial stiffness, coronary artery calcification score, and serum
vitamin D levels may be of help as the
biomarkers to suspect
sarcopenia, and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors may play a role in the medical prevention and treatment of CVD-related
sarcopenia. There are few reports to convince the efficacies of dietary and
antioxidant supplementation on
sarcopenia at present, whereas aerobic and
resistance training exercises have been recognized as an effective strategy to prevent and treat
sarcopenia.