title: How Do Skeletal Muscles Die? An Overview.
abstract: Clarifying the confusion regarding the term "muscle death" is of great importance, especially for clinicians. In response to various stimuli, skeletal muscle may undergo pathological changes, leading to muscle atrophy and consequently resulting in the loss of muscle strength and function. Depending on the stimulus, skeletal muscles can be induced to die through different mechanisms mainly via apoptosis, autophagy and necrosis. Muscle death may occur secondary to various physiological and pathological conditions such as aging, starvation, immobilization, denervation, inflammation, muscle diseases and cancer. This overview aims to elucidate the medical terminology and pathways used to describe muscle death, which are commonly confused. In addition, some of the common pathological conditions that lead to muscle death such as cachexia and sarcopenia of aging are dwelled on.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave. Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel, ecarmeli@univ.haifa.ac.il.
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carmeli
authors.forename: Dror
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aizenbud
authors.forename: Oren
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rom
mesh_terms: D016923:Cell Death; D006801:Humans; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology*; D009133:Muscular Atrophy
chemical_list: D009124:Muscle Proteins