Prevalence of sarcopenia and associated factors in hospitalised older patients: A cross-sectional study

ObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence and factors associated with sarcopenia in a sample of older inpatients. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in three acute geriatric wards in 2012. Sarcopenia was defined according to the criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. ResultsWe included 407 patients aged 81.08.0years. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 31% in the whole study population. Multiple logistic regression showed that being a female (odds ratio (OR) 4.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.45-9.20), smoking (OR 2.94, 95% CI 1.26-6.69), cognitive impairment (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.10-3.95), polypharmacy (OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.28-4.34) and body mass index (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.68-0.83) were independently associated with sarcopenia. ConclusionSarcopenia was highly prevalent in older inpatients. In addition to factors previously reported to be associated with sarcopenia, we found that polypharmacy was associated with sarcopenia. As the direction of causality remains uncertain, these relationships deserve further study. Policy Impact: Sarcopenia is highly prevalent in older inpatients. Polypharmacy seems to be related to sarcopenia, and this finding deserves further study. Practice Impact: The finding that sarcopenia is highly prevalent in older inpatients suggests that geriatricians should pay more attention to its identification, prevention and treatment. The assessment of polypharmacy is particularly important in older patients with sarcopenia.