[Fall risk and fracture. Diagnosing sarcopenia and sarcopenic leg to prevent fall and fracture: its difficulty and pit falls].

Diagnosis of sarcopenia is based on the combination of physical-performance assessment and muscle-mass measurement. Physical performance was estimated by gait speed and grip strength. Common measuring procedures for skeletal muscle mass were dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) . Skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) was calculated from following formula ; [SMI (kg/m(2)) = (arm lean mass + leg lean mass) /height(2)] . Sarcopenia and sarcopenic leg are associated with poor body balance, falls, and subsequent fracture. Treatment of sarcopenia may result in successful prevention of fall and fracture for frail elderly.