Phase angle as a screening method for sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults

Lidiane Barbosa Santiago,Carolina Cunha De Oliveira,Tatiane Melo De Oliveira,Anna Karla Carneiro Roriz,Maria Ester Pereira Da Conceição-Machado,Lilian Barbosa Ramos

doi:10.1590/1678-9865202235200243

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective We investigated the utility of the phase angle as a screening tool for sarcopenia. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study that included 169 active community-dwelling elderly women. The phase angle was determined using tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance, and sarcopenia was diagnosed based on skeletal muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance using bioelectrical impedance analysis, a handheld dynamometer, and the gait speed test, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to investigate the role of the phase angle as a predictor of sarcopenia. Results The prevalence of sarcopenia was 12.4%. The median phase angle was 5.30°; elderly women with sarcopenia had lower phase angles than those without sarcopenia (p=0.006). The phase angle cutoff for the detection of sarcopenia was ?5.15°, with an area under the curve of 0.685, sensitivity 81.0%, specificity 60.8%, and accuracy 63.31%. Elderly women with a low phase angle show a high risk of presenting with reduced muscle mass. Conclusions The phase angle was shown to be a useful screening tool in elderly women with sarcopenia.

Highlights

MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional study that included 169 active community-dwelling elderly women
The phase angle cutoff for the detection of sarcopenia was ≤5.15°, with an area under the curve of 0.685, sensitivity 81.0%, specificity 60.8%, and accuracy 63.31%
In this study, we investigated the utility of the phase angle as a screening tool for sarcopenia in active community-dwelling elderly women

Summary

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional study that included 169 active community-dwelling elderly women. How to cite this article Santiago LB, Roriz AKC, Oliveira CC, Oliveira TM, Conceição-Machado MEP, Ramos LB; Phase angle as a screening method for sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults. This cross-sectional study included elderly women recruited from the three Open Universities of the Third Age of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, which represents 75% of the universities of the city. With regard to sample calculation, the total number of elderly women who visited the universities was 408; the prevalence of sarcopenia was 15.4%, the sampling error was 5%, confidence level 95%, and we added 10% for possible losses to follow-up or refusal to participate in the study [10]. Owing to the small numbers (n=7) who enrolled these universities, we did not include men in the study

Results

Discussion

Conclusion