Exploring the variability of sarcopenia prevalence in a research population using different disease definitions

Abstract

Background: Sarcopenia is the progressive loss of muscle mass and function with age. A number of different sarcopenia definitions have been proposed and utilised in research. This study aimed to investigate how the prevalence of sarcopenia in a research cohort of older adults is influenced by the use of independent aspects of these different definitions.

Methods: Data from 255 research participants were compiled. Defining criteria by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People, the International Working Group on Sarcopenia (IWGS), and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health were applied.

Results: Prevalence of sarcopenia using muscle mass ranged from 4 to 22%. Gait speed and handgrip strength criteria identified 4-34% and 4-16% of participants as sarcopenic, respectively.

Conclusion: Prevalence of sarcopenia differs substantially depending on the criteria used. Work is required to address the impact of this for sarcopenia research to be usefully translated to inform on clinical practice.

Keywords: Ageing; Definitions; Health-span; Muscle; Sarcopenia.

Fig. 1

Sarcopenia diagnostic pathways provided by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP), including their updated version (EWGSOP2), the International Working Group on Sarcopenia (IWGS) and the Foundation of National Institutes of Health (FNIH)