About
The Research Group on Sarcopenia, Frailty and Dependency (GRESFD) is accredited by the Agency for the Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2021 SGR-01272). Its mission is to generate scientific knowledge for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia, frailty, and functional decline in the elderly population. The group is comprised of 14 people from diverse disciplines (medicine, nursing, biology, pharmacy, dietetics, physiotherapy, social work, data engineering, biostatistics) and specialties (primary care, geriatrics, rehabilitation).
Dr Serra-Prat, head of the group, has 181 scientific publications that have been cited 10,093 times (average of 55.7 citations/article), an h-index of 45, and an i10 index of 116 (as of June 2025). The group has obtained numerous competitive grants and has participated in two European projects (GRACE and Mid Frail) and collaborated with numerous research groups. The GRESFD has generated twelve doctoral theses.
The group's main lines of research are the evaluation of the causes and consequences of sarcopenia, frailty, and disability, the evaluation of the efficacy of interventions for their prevention and/or treatment, and the development of innovative tools for their diagnosis and treatment.
Keywords: aging, sarcopenia, muscle mass, muscle strength, frailty, dependency, functional capacity, functional decline, epidemiology, risk factors, efficacy.
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Group leader
- Mateu Serra Prat, MD, PhD, MPH
Mateu Serra Prat, MD, PhD, MPH
Mateu Serra-Prat is a specialist in preventive medicine and public health. He is accredited by the Catalan University Quality Agency as a researcher (U1445/101033777-174), leader of the accredited research group on Sarcopenia, Fragility and Dependency (SGR 2017-304) and member of the CIBEREHD research group on digestive motility. In the last 10 years, Dr Serra-Prat has been the principal investigator of eight competitive grants and has been the director of seven doctoral theses. Overall, he has published 170 indexed scientific articles, which have been referenced 8,991 times (average 52.9 references per article), with an H index of 42 and an i10 index of 107 (as of April 2024).
Contact: mserra(ELIMINAR)@csdm.cat
ORCID: 0000-0002-6554-9913
Research lines
Fragility is a clinical syndrome with multiple causes, which are neither well known or understood, characterised by a loss of muscular power and physiological reserves that lead to a situation of vulnerability and increased risk of suffering disability, health complications, dependence, institutionalization and death from external aggressions.
It has an occurrence of about 10% in the population over 65, greater prevalence in women and increases sharply over 89 years. Fragile individuals consume more health and social resources. Experts agree that fragility is a dynamic condition that is potentially reversible if it is detected and treated early with exercise, correct nutrition and protein supplement and control of underlying illnesses along with a reduction in polypharmacy. Studies of the causes, prevention and or treatment of the fragile syndrome must necessarily be multidisciplinary and include professionals from many specialisations.
Evaluation of the pathophysiology and risk factors of sarcopenia, frailty and functional decline in the elderly
With special emphasis on the study of:
- Nutritional status and hydration status and its impact on muscle function.
- Biomarkers of sarcopenia and frailty, such as hematological parameters (Hb, lymphocytes), ions (Na), osmolytes (urea, glucose), plasma and urinary osmolarity, hormones (copeptin), metabolites (3-Methyl-Histidine), inflammatory markers ( PCR, IL-6), etc.
- Drugs, polypharmacy and appropriate use of medication in the elderly.
- Physical activity in the elderly.
- Social determinants such as social isolation, level of education, income or home conditions.
Evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of multimodal interventions aimed at preventing and/or reversing frailty and disability in the elderly
Assessment of the impact of frailty on the health and quality of life and assessment of the economic impact of frailty
Development and validation of electronic and automatic instruments for mass screening of frailty and/or disability to generate information at population level useful for health planning and management
Active projects
- Dehydration and adaptive physiological water conservation mechanisms as risk factors for anabolic resistance, sarcopenia, frailty and functional decline in aged population
- Territorial inequalities in the prevalence, incidence and mortality of frailty in Catalonia
- External validation of the e-SIF and the effect of the degree of frailty on the consumption of health resources. Finish analysis (January 25), manuscript (March-April 25)
- Prescription of medications in the elderly in Catalonia
- Adequacy of medication (PIMs) in Catalonia (2017-2021)
- Development and validation of the SIF Calculator
- Effect of frailty on postoperative complications, QT tolerance and survival in the elderly with non-metastatic colon cancer
- Prognostic value of BIA in elderly admitted to an intermediate care center
- Evaluation of the pilot program for screening frailty in Mataró
- Aerobic capacity in submaximal test in elderly: reference values and relationship with sarcopenia, frailty and functional capacity
- Aerobic capacity and mitochondrial dysfunction in elderly in the community
- Aging in intellectual disability: Retrospective cohort study (SAD data)
- Aging in intellectual disability: Prospective cohort study (Maresme Foundation)
- Guide for the treatment of frailty in elderly hospitalized for acute abdominal pathology
- Insulin resistance as a risk factor for sarcopenia and frailty
- Efficacy of creatine in elderly undergoing knee arthroplasty
Scientific publications
Highlighted 2024 publications
Serra-Prat M, Lorenzo I, Martínez J, Palomera E, Pleguezuelos E, Ferrer P. Relationship between Hydration Status and Muscle Catabolism in the Aged Population: A Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients. 2023 Nov 8;15(22):4718. DOI: 10.3390/nu15224718.
Pleguezuelos E, Del Carmen A, Moreno E, Serra-Prat M, Serra-Payá N, Garnacho-Castaño MV. Telerehabilitation improves cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness and body composition in older people with post-COVID-19 syndrome. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2024 Jun 27;15(5):1785-1796. DOI:10.1002/jcsm.13530
Serra-Prat M, Moreno-Carmona MR, Fortuny A, Lavado À, Papiol M, Muñoz L, Martínez-Cerdá JF, Serra-Colomer J, Burdoy E, Cabré M. Frailty trends in Catalonia 2017-2021: An epidemiological study with 1.5 million people aged ≥65 years. Public Health. 2024 Sep 23;237:14-21. DOI:10.1016/j.puhe.2024.09.016
Contact
(+34) 93 741 77 00 ext. 2282