Sarcopenia risk and diabetes mellitus are independent factors for lower limb muscle strength in elderly patients with acute stroke: A cross-sectional study

Abstract Objectives Lower-extremity (LE) muscle strength is an important factor for functional outcome in patients with stroke. However, the factors influencing LE muscle strength in elderly patients with acute stroke have not been studied. We investigated the relationships of pre-stroke sarcopenia risk and pre-stroke comorbidities with LE muscle strength in patients with acute elderly stroke. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we assessed LE muscle strength by the Motricity index (MI), and pre-stroke sarcopenia risk by using a questionnaire for sarcopenia (SARC-F). Multivariate regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship of MI with sarcopenia risk, neurological deficit assessed by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and comorbidities in these patients. Results A total of 223 acute elderly stroke patients (127 men and 96 women; mean age: 76 years) were enrolled in this study. Multivariate analyses for MI after adjusting for potential confounders, NIHSS score, diabetes mellitus, and the presence of sarcopenia risk were independently and negatively associated with MI in patients with elderly stroke (β = -0.775, p Conclusions Pre-stroke sarcopenia and diabetes mellitus are associated with LE muscle strength in elderly patients with acute stroke, and these assessments would be useful for clinician.