When COVID-19 affects muscle: effects of quarantine in older adults


Submitted: 30 April 2020
Accepted: 16 May 2020
Published: 17 June 2020
Abstract Views: 3037
PDF: 1097
HTML: 59
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

At the beginning of 2020 a respiratory diseased named COVID-19 rapidly spread worldwide. Due to the presence of comorbidities and a greater susceptibility to infections, older adults are the population most affected by this pandemic. An efficient pharmacological treatment for COVID-19 is not ready yet; in the meanwhile, a general quarantine has been initiated as a preventive action against the spread of the disease.  If on one side this countermeasure is slowing the spread of the virus, on the other side is also reducing the amount of physical activity. Sedentariness is associated with numerous negative health outcomes and increase risk of fall, fractures and disabilities in older adults. Models of physical inactivity have been widely studied in the past decades, and most studies agreed that is necessary to implement physical exercise (such as walking, low load resistance or in bed exercise) during periods of disuse to protect muscle mass and function from catabolic crisis. Moreover, older adults have a blunted response to physical rehabilitation, and a combination of intense resistance training and nutrition are necessary to overcome the loss of in skeletal muscle due to disuse.


Wang B, Li R, Lu Z, Huang Y. Does comorbidity increase the risk of patients with COVID-19: evidence from meta-analysis. Aging (Albany NY) 2020; 12: 6049-6057. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.103000

Verity R, Okell LC, Dorigatti I, Winskill P, Whittaker C, Imai N, Cuomo-Dannenburg G, Thompson H, Walker PGT, Fu H, Dighe A, Griffin JT, Baguelin M, Bhatia S, Boonyasiri A, Cori A, Cucunuba Z, FitzJohn R, Gaythorpe K, Green W, Hamlet A, Hinsley W, Laydon D, Nedjati-Gilani G, Riley S, van Elsland S, Volz E, Wang H, Wang Y, Xi X, Donnelly CA, Ghani AC, Ferguson NM. Estimates of the severity of coronavirus disease 2019: a model-based analysis. Lancet Infect Dis 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.09.20033357

Shim E, Tariq A, Choi W, Lee Y, Chowell G. Transmission potential and severity of COVID-19 in South Korea. Int J Infect Dis 2020; 93: 339-344. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.03.031

Le Couteur DG, Anderson RM, Newman AB. COVID-19 is a disease of older people. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2020.

Leong DP, Teo KK, Rangarajan S, Lopez-Jaramillo P, Avezum A, Jr., Orlandini A, Seron P, Ahmed SH, Rosengren A, Kelishadi R, Rahman O, Swaminathan S, Iqbal R, Gupta R, Lear SA, Oguz A, Yusoff K, Zatonska K, Chifamba J, Igumbor E, Mohan V, Anjana RM, Gu H, Li W, Yusuf S, Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology Study i. Prognostic value of grip strength: findings from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. Lancet 2015; 386: 266-273. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)62000-6

Bowden Davies KA, Sprung VS, Norman JA, Thompson A, Mitchell KL, Halford JCG, Harrold JA, Wilding JPH, Kemp GJ, Cuthbertson DJ. Short-term decreased physical activity with increased sedentary behaviour causes metabolic derangements and altered body composition: effects in individuals with and without a first-degree relative with type 2 diabetes. Diabetologia 2018; 61: 1282-1294. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-018-4603-5

Breen L, Stokes KA, Churchward-Venne TA, Moore DR, Baker SK, Smith K, Atherton PJ, Phillips SM. Two weeks of reduced activity decreases leg lean mass and induces "anabolic resistance" of myofibrillar protein synthesis in healthy elderly. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2013; 98: 2604-2612. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2013-1502

McLeod M, Breen L, Hamilton DL, Philp A. Live strong and prosper: the importance of skeletal muscle strength for healthy ageing. Biogerontology 2016; 17: 497-510. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-015-9631-7

Leger B, Cartoni R, Praz M, Lamon S, Deriaz O, Crettenand A, Gobelet C, Rohmer P, Konzelmann M, Luthi F, Russell AP. Akt signalling through GSK-3beta, mTOR and Foxo1 is involved in human skeletal muscle hypertrophy and atrophy. J Physiol 2006; 576: 923-933. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2006.116715

Suetta C, Frandsen U, Jensen L, Jensen MM, Jespersen JG, Hvid LG, Bayer M, Petersson SJ, Schroder HD, Andersen JL, Heinemeier KM, Aagaard P, Schjerling P, Kjaer M. Aging affects the transcriptional regulation of human skeletal muscle disuse atrophy. PLoS One 2012; 7: e51238. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0051238

Dirks ML, Wall BT, Nilwik R, Weerts DH, Verdijk LB, van Loon LJ. Skeletal muscle disuse atrophy is not attenuated by dietary protein supplementation in healthy older men. J Nutr 2014; 144: 1196-1203. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.114.194217

Guttridge DC, Mayo MW, Madrid LV, Wang CY, Baldwin AS, Jr. NF-kappaB-induced loss of MyoD messenger RNA: possible role in muscle decay and cachexia. Science 2000; 289: 2363-2366. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.289.5488.2363

Drummond MJ, Dickinson JM, Fry CS, Walker DK, Gundermann DM, Reidy PT, Timmerman KL, Markofski MM, Paddon-Jones D, Rasmussen BB, Volpi E. Bed rest impairs skeletal muscle amino acid transporter expression, mTORC1 signaling, and protein synthesis in response to essential amino acids in older adults. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2012; 302: E1113-1122. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00603.2011

Narici MV, de Boer MD. Disuse of the musculo-skeletal system in space and on earth. Eur J Appl Physiol 2011; 111: 403-420. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-010-1556-x

Arentson-Lantz E, Galvan E, Wacher A, Fry CS, Paddon-Jones D. 2,000 Steps/Day Does Not Fully Protect Skeletal Muscle Health in Older Adults During Bed Rest. J Aging Phys Act 2019; 27: 191-197. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2018-0093

American College of Sports M, Chodzko-Zajko WJ, Proctor DN, Fiatarone Singh MA, Minson CT, Nigg CR, Salem GJ, Skinner JS. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and physical activity for older adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2009; 41: 1510-1530. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181a0c95c

Walhin JP, Richardson JD, Betts JA, Thompson D. Exercise counteracts the effects of short-term overfeeding and reduced physical activity independent of energy imbalance in healthy young men. J Physiol 2013; 591: 6231-6243. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2013.262709

Devries MC, Breen L, Von Allmen M, MacDonald MJ, Moore DR, Offord EA, Horcajada MN, Breuille D, Phillips SM. Low-load resistance training during step-reduction attenuates declines in muscle mass and strength and enhances anabolic sensitivity in older men. Physiol Rep 2015; 3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.12493

Carraro U, Gava K, Baba A, Marcante A, Piccione F. To Contrast and Reverse Skeletal Muscle Atrophy by Full-Body In-Bed Gym, a Mandatory Lifestyle for Older Olds and Borderline Mobility-Impaired Persons. Adv Exp Med Biol 2018; 1088: 549-560. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1435-3_25

Rejc E, Floreani M, Taboga P, Botter A, Toniolo L, Cancellara L, Narici M, Simunic B, Pisot R, Biolo G, Passaro A, Rittweger J, Reggiani C, Lazzer S. Loss of maximal explosive power of lower limbs after 2 weeks of disuse and incomplete recovery after retraining in older adults. J Physiol 2018; 596: 647-665. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1113/JP274772

Hvid L, Aagaard P, Justesen L, Bayer ML, Andersen JL, Ortenblad N, Kjaer M, Suetta C. Effects of aging on muscle mechanical function and muscle fiber morphology during short-term immobilization and subsequent retraining. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2010; 109: 1628-1634. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00637.2010

McGlory C, von Allmen MT, Stokes T, Morton RW, Hector AJ, Lago BA, Raphenya AR, Smith BK, McArthur AG, Steinberg GR, Baker SK, Phillips SM. Failed Recovery of Glycemic Control and Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis With 2 wk of Physical Inactivity in Overweight, Prediabetic Older Adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2018; 73: 1070-1077. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glx203

Tanner RE, Brunker LB, Agergaard J, Barrows KM, Briggs RA, Kwon OS, Young LM, Hopkins PN, Volpi E, Marcus RL, LaStayo PC, Drummond MJ. Age-related differences in lean mass, protein synthesis and skeletal muscle markers of proteolysis after bed rest and exercise rehabilitation. J Physiol 2015; 593: 4259-4273. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1113/JP270699

Oikawa SY, McGlory C, D'Souza LK, Morgan AK, Saddler NI, Baker SK, Parise G, Phillips SM. A randomized controlled trial of the impact of protein supplementation on leg lean mass and integrated muscle protein synthesis during inactivity and energy restriction in older persons. Am J Clin Nutr 2018; 108: 1060-1068. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqy193

Moro, T., & Paoli, A. (2020). When COVID-19 affects muscle: effects of quarantine in older adults. European Journal of Translational Myology, 30(2), 219–222. https://doi.org/10.4081/ejtm.2020.9069

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations


Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.