This calculator is for general information and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace the judgment of a doctor, nurse or pharmacist who knows the full clinical picture.
Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass and strength that comes with aging, made worse by inactivity, illness and poor nutrition. It increases the risk of falls, fractures, disability, hospital stays and death. The SARC-F questionnaire, published by Malmstrom and Morley in 2013, is a fast screening tool that asks about five everyday tasks. Its name is an acronym of those tasks.
The questions
| Item | 0 | 1 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength: lifting and carrying 10 lb | no difficulty | some | a lot or unable |
| Assistance in walking across a room | none | some | a lot, uses aids or unable |
| Rise from a chair or bed | none | some | a lot or unable without help |
| Climb a flight of 10 stairs | none | some | a lot or unable |
| Falls in the past year | none | 1 to 3 falls | 4 or more |
The total ranges from 0 to 10.
Example
An older adult who has some difficulty carrying groceries, rising from a chair and climbing stairs, walks without help and fell twice last year scores 1 + 0 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4: sarcopenia is likely on screening.
Interpretation
A score of 4 or more is positive. The SARC-F is very specific, so a positive result is meaningful, but it misses many people with mild sarcopenia. The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2, 2019) recommends it as the first step in a “find, assess, confirm, severity” pathway.
Confirming sarcopenia
- Muscle strength: grip strength with a dynamometer (under 27 kg in men, under 16 kg in women) or the five-chair-rise test (more than 15 seconds).
- Muscle quantity: measured by DXA scan or bioimpedance.
- Physical performance: gait speed of 0.8 m/s or less, or the Short Physical Performance Battery, grades severity.
What helps
- Resistance training two to three times a week is the most effective treatment at any age.
- Enough protein, around 1 to 1.2 g per kg of body weight a day for older adults, spread across meals.
- Vitamin D if levels are low, and review of medicines that cause falls.
Limits
The SARC-F relies on self-report and is less sensitive than direct measurements. A low score does not rule out sarcopenia in someone with other warning signs, such as unintentional weight loss or slower walking.