Effects of age on muscle as measured by electrical impedance myography

Physiol Meas. 2006 Oct;27(10):953-9. doi: 10.1088/0967-3334/27/10/002. Epub 2006 Jul 25.

Abstract

Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is a painless and non-invasive technique for the assessment of muscle which we apply here to the effects of normal aging. The paper presents a cross-sectional analysis of EIM data from the quadriceps and tibialis anterior of 100 healthy subjects (44 men, 56 women, ages 18-90 years). The principal EIM parameter, the spatially averaged phase theta(avg), shows a roughly quadratic reduction with increasing age, declining more steeply beyond 60 years. The correlation was stronger in men (quadriceps: r2 = 0.68 for men, 0.52 for women; tibialis anterior: r2 = 0.74 for men, 0.38 for women; p < 0.001 throughout). Additionally, four subjects (age greater than 75 years) were asked to return for repeat testing several years after their initial assessment. These longitudinal results qualitatively confirm the cross-sectional data, though with greater reductions in theta(avg) at high age. The findings of this study support the potential use of EIM as a simple and effort-independent test of muscle health in the elderly.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aging / physiology*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Electric Impedance
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myography / methods
  • Quadriceps Muscle / physiology*
  • Retrospective Studies