Abstract
Objective
To screen the risk of sarcopenia in hospitalized individuals using the SARC-F and SARC-Calf instruments and verify the association between the risk of sarcopenia with the sociodemographic and clinical variables and those that make up the sarcopenia phenotype.
Methods
This is a cross-sectional study. Sociodemographic, clinical characteristics, and all variables (handgrip strength, muscle mass and gait speed) that construct the sarcopenia phenotype were investigated. For the screening and diagnosis of sarcopenia, the algorithm, and criteria proposed by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2).
Results
A total of 90 individuals participated. Most were without risk of sarcopenia, both by SARC-F (58.9%) and by SARC-Calf (68.9%), with normal handgrip strength (HGS) (28.6±9.2; 26.7±10.6) and appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) (9.3±1.78; 9.6±1.6) and with low gait speed (GS) (0.69±0.26; 0.68±0.4), respectively. SARC-F showed a significant association with the variables gender (p=0.032), HGS (p<0.001), GS (p=0.001) and sarcopenia (p<0.001). When adding the calf circumference (CC), an association was found with the variables age group (p=0.029), work activity (p=0.008), HGS (p<0.001), ASMI (p=0.033), GS (p=0.019) and the sarcopenia (p<0.001).
Conclusion
The risk of sarcopenia was observed in approximately one-third of the evaluated patients. It is suggested the routine use in hospitals of the sarcopenia screening tool SARC-Calf, since it was associated with the three predictive factors of sarcopenia, in addition,it is an instrument of agile application, low cost and non-invasive. When a possible, investigation of the diagnosis of sarcopenia should be encouraged in clinical practice.
Keywords
Sarcopenia; Diagnostic Screening Programs; Muscle Mass