Abstract
IntroductionRecognition that an older person has sarcopenia is important because this condition is linked to a range of adverse outcomes. Sarcopenia becomes increasingly common with age, and yet there are few data concerning its descriptive epidemiology in the very old (aged 85 years and above). Our aims were to describe risk factors for sarcopenia and estimate its prevalence and incidence in a British sample of the very old.MethodsWe used data from two waves (2006/07 and 2009/10) of the Newcastle 85+ Study, a cohort born in 1921 and registered with a Newcastle/North Tyneside general practice. We assessed sarcopenia status using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) definition. Grip strength was measured using a Takei digital dynamometer (Takei Scientific Instruments Ltd., Niigata, Japan), gait speed was calculated from the Timed Up and Go test, and lean mass was estimated using a Tanita‐305 body fat analyzer. We used logistic regression to examine associations between risk factors for prevalent sarcopenia at baseline and incident sarcopenia at follow‐up.ResultsEuropean Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People sarcopenia was present in 21% of participants at baseline [149/719 participants, mean age 85.5 (0.4) years]. Many participants had either slow gait speed or weak grip strength (74.3%), and hence measurement of muscle mass was frequently indicated by the EWGSOP definition. Incidence data were available for 302 participants, and the incident rate was 3.7 cases per 100 person years at risk. Low Standardized Mini‐Mental State Examination, lower occupational social class, and shorter duration of education were associated with sarcopenia at baseline, while low muscle mass was associated with incident sarcopenia. Low body mass index (BMI) was a risk factor for both in a graded fashion, with each unit decrease associated with increased odds of prevalent [odds ratio (OR) 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21, 1.37] and incident (OR 1.20, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.33) sarcopenia.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first study to describe prevalence and incidence of EWGSOP sarcopenia in the very old. Low BMI was a risk factor for both current and future sarcopenia; indeed, there was some evidence that low BMI may be a reasonable proxy for low lean mass. Overall, the high prevalence of sarcopenia among the very old suggests that this group should be a focus for future research.
Highlights
Recognition that an older person has sarcopenia is important because this condition is linked to a range of adverse outcomes
Low body mass index (BMI) was a risk factor for both current and future sarcopenia; there was some evidence that low BMI may be a reasonable proxy for low lean mass
The high prevalence of sarcopenia among the very old suggests that this group should be a focus for future research
Summary
Recognition that an older person has sarcopenia is important because this condition is linked to a range of adverse outcomes. In a recent systematic review of 18 studies of sarcopenia prevalence,[4] all but two had a mean age under 85 years This may reflect the challenges of studying sarcopenia in the very old, such as the time required for assessment and factors such as medical illness that may make it difficult to obtain a representative sample.[5] Estimates of prevalence are useful for the planning of services and clinical research. There is little published research on the incidence of sarcopenia, and existing studies have typically been conducted at mean ages below 75.6,7 Our aims were to estimate the prevalence and incidence of sarcopenia and to examine risk factors for both using a British sample of the very old
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