💪 SARC-F Sarcopenia Screening
SARC-F is a rapid five-item, patient-reported screen for sarcopenia suitable for community and outpatient settings.
SARC-F Sarcopenia Screening
Difficulty lifting ~5 kg
Difficulty walking across a room
Difficulty rising from a chair or bed
Difficulty climbing 10 stairs
Falls in the past year
When to use
Score each of the five domains (strength, walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, falls) 0–2; the tool totals them out of 10.
How it works
Total = strength + walking + chair-rising + stair-climbing + falls, each 0–2 (range 0–10). A total ≥4 suggests sarcopenia risk.
Key points
- SARC-F has high specificity but only moderate sensitivity, so it is a rule-in first-line screen and a low score does not fully exclude sarcopenia in high-risk patients (original synthesis · not guideline verbatim).
- A positive screen (≥4) should be followed by objective assessment: grip strength, gait speed, and muscle mass by DXA or BIA.
- Adding calf circumference (SARC-CalF) improves sensitivity where a more thorough first-pass screen is wanted.
References
Decision support for licensed clinicians only; not a substitute for clinical judgement, diagnosis or local protocols.