Status of Constipation and Its Association with Sarcopenia in Older Adults: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Hyungchul Park,Il-Young Jang,Jihye Lim,Ji Yeon Baek,Hee-Won Jung,Eunju Lee

doi:10.3390/ijerph182111083

Abstract

(1) Background: As the clinical relevance of constipation and sarcopenia is not well studied, we aimed to investigate the association between them in older adults. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1278 community-dwelling older adults in South Korea. The Rome IV criteria were used to identify patients with clinically defined constipation, while sarcopenia was defined by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia consensus. The cohort was classified into three groups: no constipation, self-reported constipation only, and clinically defined constipation. (3) Results: The presence of constipation was associated with sarcopenia and slow gait speed (p < 0.001). After adjustment for possible covariates, the association with sarcopenia attenuated, while that for slow gait speed persisted. In terms of geriatric parameters, both groups with clinically defined and self-reported constipation had a higher burden of cognitive impairment, IADL disability, and lower QOL scores (p < 0.05) compared with those without constipation. (4) Conclusions: Sarcopenia and slow gait speed associated with constipation in community-dwelling older adults. Individuals with self-reported constipation symptoms alone showed comparable sarcopenic and geriatric burden to those with clinically defined constipation. Clinical suspicion for possible co-existing sarcopenia is warranted in older patients with constipation.

Highlights

Published: 21 October 2021Constipation is a common complaint of patients visiting hospitals
Clinical suspicion for possible co-existing sarcopenia is warranted in older patients with constipation
Significant correlations were observed between sarcopenia, gait speed, and constipation, we found that neither muscle mass nor grip strength associated with constipation

Summary

Introduction

Constipation is a common complaint of patients visiting hospitals. It is a clinical syndrome with varied and complex symptoms, and its diagnosis commonly relies on subjective measures [1]. The prevalence of constipation is estimated to range between 10 and 15% in North America [2], while in an Asian survey, it was reported in 15–23% and 11%. In a survey conducted in South Korea, the prevalence of self-reported constipation was 16.5%, while 9.2% of the participants were diagnosed as functional constipation by the Rome II criteria [5]. Laxative use was reported in 8.2% of the participants, suggesting a discrepancy between self-reported constipation, clinical diagnosis of functional constipation, and constipationrelated medication use. Studies have shown positive associations between constipation and Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations

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