Anne
R. Cappola, M.D., Sc.M.
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology
Director of Research Programs for FOCUS on Health and Leadership for Women
Program
Summary
Sarcopenia, the
involuntary loss of skeletal muscle mass and function,
is a potentially modifiable condition that contributes
to functional dependence and falls in older individuals.
In addition, sarcopenia is a central component of the frailty
syndrome. Frail individuals are the most vulnerable subset
of older people, with significantly higher rates of morbidity,
mortality, and functional decline as compared to age-matched
individuals who are not frail. As increasing numbers of
Americans live into their 80’s and 90’s, it
will be of critical importance for investigators and clinicians
to understand the physiologic basis of frailty in order
to identify individuals at risk and to facilitate improved
prevention and treatment. The role of the endocrine system
in the development of sarcopenia is poorly understood.
Dr. Cappola is studying how low levels of androgens and
of other anabolic hormones, alone and in concert with age-related
alterations in nutritional status and in the immune system,
may affect the development of sarcopenia and frailty. An
additional research area is the relationship between thyroid
dysfunction and cardiovascular disease in older men and
women.
Publications Please visit PubMed
for a complete list of publications.
Miller R, Cappola AR, Hawkes W, Shardell M, Hawkes WG, Yu-Yahiro J, Hebel JR, Magaziner J. Persistent changes in interleukin-6 and lower extremity function following hip fracture. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, In press.
Cappola AR, Xue QL, Walston JD, Leng SX, Ferrucci L, Guralnik J, Fried LP. DHEAS levels and mortality in disabled older women: The Women's Health and Aging Study I. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, In press.
Cappola AR, Fried LP, Arnold AM, Danese MD, Kuller LH, Burke GL, Tracy RP, Ladenson PW. Thyroid status, cardiovascular risk, and mortality in older adults. JAMA, 295:1033-1041.
Leng SX, Cappola AR, Andersen RS, Blackman MR, Koenig K, Blair M, Walston JD. Serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and their relationships with serum interleukin-6, in the geriatric syndrome of frailty. Aging Clin Exp Res 16:153-157, 2004.
Cappola AR, Xue QL, Ferrucci L, Guralnik JM, Volpato S, Fried LP. Insulin-like growth factor-I and interleukin-6 contribute synergistically to disability and mortality in older women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88:2019-2025, 2003.
