Prevalence of Sarcopenia in Acutely Hospitalized Older Adults

Debate is ongoing as how to best define and measure sarcopenia. Several operative definitions have been published by international consensus panels over the past few years. In the absence of standard clinically relevant cutpoints studying the prevalence of sarcopenia had been difficult. Additionally, the prevalence of sarcopenia in vulnerable populations (acute/chronic illness, multiple comorbidities) has not been investigated. We examined the prevalence of sarcopenia using three operational definitions (Foundation of NIH Sarcopenia Project (FNIH), International Working Group Sarcopenia Initiative (IWGS), and European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older Persons (EWGSOP)) in a cohort of older adults (n=42, >65 yrs) hospitalized for an acute disease in the Acute Care for the Elderly unit at UTMB. We measured body composition, grip strength, and gait speed. The prevalence of sarcopenia in our cohort of acutely hospitalized older adults was higher in men than women according to all 3 operational definitions....