Somatopause: Symptoms, Complaints, Signs

Symptomatology of somatopause is characterized in men and women alike by mood disorders, physical and mental performance decline, and physiological failure symptoms.The following is an overview of typical complaints in somatopause:Psychological disorders.

• Reduced energy and vitality
• Impaired self-control
• Disturbed emotional reactions
• Lack of well-being
• Depressed mood
• Increased anxiety
• Increased social isolation

Organic disorders

• Reduced physical performance (reduced energy and vitality).
  • Reduced performance – endurance
  • Reduced general condition
• Altered body composition (electrical impedance analysis, BIA).
  • Abdominal visceral fat storage (increased abdominal fat).
  • Increased waist-to-hip ratio
  • Decreased lean body mass (FFK) = muscle breakdown (BCM).
  • Reduced extracellular body water (ECM).
• Reduced basal metabolic rate
• Increased insulin resistance – decreased effectiveness of endogenous insulin at target organs skeletal muscle, adipose tissue and liver.
• Increase in cardiovascular risk factors.
  • Hyperlipidemia and lowered serum HDL cholesterol levels.
  • Decreased fibrinolysis
  • Increased risk of atherosclerosis
• Decreased sexual activity (libido)
• Thin and dry skin
• Osteopenia (reduction in bone density)
• Decrease in the efficiency of the heart muscle – decrease in cardiac output (HZV).
• Impaired renal function
  • Reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR).
  • Reduced renal plasma flow
  • Reduced acid valence excretion (acid-base balance disturbance).