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. 2021 Oct 21;18(21):11083.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph182111083.

Status of Constipation and Its Association with Sarcopenia in Older Adults: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Hyungchul Park  1   2 , Jihye Lim  1 , Ji Yeon Baek  3 , Eunju Lee  3 , Hee-Won Jung  3 , Il-Young Jang  3
Affiliations

Status of Constipation and Its Association with Sarcopenia in Older Adults: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Hyungchul Park et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

(1) Background: As the clinical relevance of constipation and sarcopenia is not well studied, we aimed to investigate the association between them in older adults. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1278 community-dwelling older adults in South Korea. The Rome IV criteria were used to identify patients with clinically defined constipation, while sarcopenia was defined by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia consensus. The cohort was classified into three groups: no constipation, self-reported constipation only, and clinically defined constipation. (3) Results: The presence of constipation was associated with sarcopenia and slow gait speed (p < 0.001). After adjustment for possible covariates, the association with sarcopenia attenuated, while that for slow gait speed persisted. In terms of geriatric parameters, both groups with clinically defined and self-reported constipation had a higher burden of cognitive impairment, IADL disability, and lower QOL scores (p < 0.05) compared with those without constipation. (4) Conclusions: Sarcopenia and slow gait speed associated with constipation in community-dwelling older adults. Individuals with self-reported constipation symptoms alone showed comparable sarcopenic and geriatric burden to those with clinically defined constipation. Clinical suspicion for possible co-existing sarcopenia is warranted in older patients with constipation.

Keywords: aging; constipation; geriatric assessment; sarcopenia.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that there are no potential conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence of clinically defined constipation, self-reported constipation, and laxative use.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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