Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Aug 3;42(1):16.
doi: 10.1186/s40101-023-00334-3.

Association of sarcopenia, pre-sarcopenia, and dynapenia with the onset and progression of locomotive syndrome in Japanese older adults: a cross-sectional study

Hungu Jung  1   2   3 , Shigeharu Tanaka  1   4 , Shusei Kataoka  5 , Ryo Tanaka  6
Affiliations

Association of sarcopenia, pre-sarcopenia, and dynapenia with the onset and progression of locomotive syndrome in Japanese older adults: a cross-sectional study

Hungu Jung et al. J Physiol Anthropol. .

Abstract

Background: Sarcopenia commonly occurs in older adults with motor disorders requiring long-term care, and the clinical features of sarcopenia are associated with locomotive syndrome. Dynapenia is the age-related loss of muscle strength. However, the association of sarcopenia and dynapenia with the onset and progression of locomotive syndrome in older adults remains unknown. The current study aimed to determine the association of sarcopenia, pre-sarcopenia, and dynapenia with the onset and progression of locomotive syndrome in Japanese older adults.

Methods: This study included older females (n = 264, 73.9 ± 5.8 years) and males (n = 92, 76.3 ± 6.1 years). Sarcopenia was defined as low muscle function and mass; pre-sarcopenia was defined as low muscle mass with normal muscle function; and dynapenia was defined as low muscle function without low muscle mass. Locomotive syndrome (stage 0-2) severity was determined using the stand-up test, the two-step test, and the 25-question geriatric locomotive function scale. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between sarcopenia category and locomotive syndrome stages.

Results: Age (1.208, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.124-1.298), sex (2.455, 95% CI 1.241-4.856), and BMI (1.211, 95% CI 1.077-1.361) were significant variables for determining locomotive syndrome stage ≥ 1, whereas pre-sarcopenia (0.543, 95% CI 0.331-0.891) and sarcopenia (1.664, 95% CI 1.005-2.755) were significant variables for determining locomotive syndrome stage 2.

Conclusions: Only sarcopenia was associated with locomotive syndrome progression, while low muscle mass or low muscle function was not associated with locomotive syndrome. Gaining muscle mass accompanied by an increased muscle function for older adults is warranted to prevent locomotive syndrome progression in the super-aged society.

Keywords: Locomotive syndrome; Muscle function; Muscle mass; Older adults; Sarcopenia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Methods of categorization based on skeletal mass index (SMI) and muscle function
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Nakamura K. A “super-aged” society and the “locomotive syndrome”. J Orthop Sci. 2008;13:1–2. doi: 10.1007/s00776-007-1202-6. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ishii M, Kim Y, Suehara Y, Kawasaki T, Matsuoka J, Akaike K, et al. The recognition of locomotive syndrome in 2014: a cross-sectional study in the orthopeadic outpatients in Tokyo. Br J Med Med Res. 2015;6:606–616. doi: 10.9734/BJMMR/2015/14207. - DOI
    1. Nakamura K. The concept and treatment of locomotive syndrome: Its acceptance and spread in Japan. J Orthop Sci. 2011;16:489–491. doi: 10.1007/s00776-011-0108-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abramowitz MK, Hall CB, Amodu A, Sharma D, Androga L, Hawkins M. Correction: Muscle mass, BMI, and mortality among adults in the United States: a population-based cohort study. PLoS ONE. 2018;13:1–16. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chen LK, Liu LK, Woo J, Assantachai P, Auyeung TW, Bahyah KS, et al. Sarcopenia in Asia: Consensus report of the Asian working group for sarcopenia. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2014;15:95–101. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2013.11.025. - DOI - PubMed