Factors Associated with Sarcopenia among Hemodialysis Patients

ABSTRACT

Purpose@# This descriptive survey aims to identify the prevalence of factors associated with sarcopenia among hemodialysis patients. @*Methods@# The study subjects were 137 patients with chronic kidney failure undergoing hemodialysis in three artificial kidney centers in B and Y cities. Data were collected from August 1 to September 30, 2020, using the SARC-F (Strength, Assistant walking, Rising from a chair, Climbing stairs, Falls) questionnaire, Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF), Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), and a grip dynamometer. The collected data were analyzed using t-tests, crossover analysis, and logistic regression using the IBM SPSS 23 program. @*Results@# The prevalence of sarcopenia among hemodialysis patients, determined using the SARC-F questionnaire, was 16.1%. The associated factors of sarcopenia among hemodialysis patients were found to be gender (OR=6.44, p =.002), age (OR=1.07, p =.015), nutritional status (OR=10.37, p =.027), and albumin level (OR=0.10, p =.014). These findings are supported by an explanatory power of 46.3% (p =.597). @*Conclusion@# The identified risk factors for sarcopenia in hemodialysis patients were; sex, age, nutritional status, and albumin level. The findings of this study can serve as clinical evidence for the development of an intervention program for preventing and managing sarcopenia in patients undergoing hemodialysis.