Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations Between Sarcopenia and Depressive Symptoms of the Aged

Abstract

Background: Using the nationally representative data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), we conducted cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses to estimate the association between sarcopenia and depressive symptoms among older adults. Methods: In the cross-sectional analysis, the sample comprised 7706 participants aged ≥ 60 years (50.6% women; mean age 68.0 ± 6.5). A total of 4652 participants without depressive symptoms were recruited from the same cohort and were followed up in 2018. Findings: The prevalence of depressive symptoms in total populations, no-sarcopenia, possible sarcopenia and sarcopenia individuals were 27.1% (2085/7706), 21.5% (927/4310), 33.6% (882/2627), 35.9% (276/769), respectively. Both possible sarcopenia and sarcopenia were positively associated with higher odds of depressive symptoms (P < 0.01). 956 cases (20.6%) with incident depressive symptoms were identified. In the longitudinal analysis, individuals with the diagnosed possible sarcopenia (HR:1.27, 95% CI: 1.01–1.58, P = 0.040) and sarcopenia participants (HR:1.49, 95% CI: 1.06–2.09, P = 0.021) were more likely to have new onset depressive symptoms than no-sarcopenia peers. Compared with the individuals without any sarcopenia components, those having low muscle mass alone were not significantly associated with higher odds of depressive symptoms or increased risk of depressive symptoms ( P＞0.05). Interpretation: Both possible sarcopenia and sarcopenia were independent predictors for the occurrence of depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults. Our findings supports the longitudinal connection between sarcopenia and mental health problems, timely identification and management of both possible sarcopenia and sarcopenia as part of comprehensive strategies to fight against depressive symptoms. Funding; None to declare. Declaration of Interest: None to declare. Ethical Approval: This study was approved by the Ethical Review Committee of Peking University (approval number: IR1052-11015).