Association of different bioimpedanciometry estimations of muscle mass with functional measures.

AIM: To investigate the muscle mass adjustment technique that best correlates with functional measures. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was designed. Community-dwelling older adults aged ≥60 years were assessed for body composition and functional measures between November 2012 and July 2017 in the geriatric outpatient clinic of a university hospital. Body composition was assessed with bioimpedance analysis. Skeletal muscle mass (SMM) was adjusted by height2 , weight or body mass index (BMI). Functional and disability measures included handgrip strength assessed by a Jamar hydraulic hand dynamometer, gait speed by 4-m usual gait speed, frailty by the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses and Loss of Weight scale score, activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL scores. Nutrition was evaluated by the Mini Nutritional Assessment - Short Form. RESULTS: A total of 1437 older adults (458 men, 979 women) with a mean age of 74.6 ± 7.0 years were included. The prevalences of low muscle mass were 2.4%, 47.8% and 20.3% when SMM was adjusted by height2 , weight and BMI, respectively. Multivariate analyses adjusted for age, number of diseases, drugs and the Mini Nutritional Assessment - Short Form score revealed that when the SMM was adjusted by BMI, low muscle mass showed better associations with grip strength, gait speed, ADL, instrumental ADL and frailty than the height2 or the weight-adjusted SMM. CONCLUSIONS: SMM adjustment by BMI to designate low muscle mass was better associated with functional and disability measures than adjustment by height2 and weight. The present results put forward the SMM index (by BMI) as the best adjustment method for SMM. These findings might be relevant for defining both sarcopenia and malnutrition. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 593-597.

Prevalence of sarcopenia and its association with functional and nutritional status among male residents in a nursing home in Turkey.

The prevalence of sarcopenia differs between different populations, ages, gender and between settings such as the community and nursing homes. Studies on the association of sarcopenia with functional status revealed conflicting results whereas its association with nutritional status is well documented. We aimed at investigating the prevalence of sarcopenia and its association with functional and nutritional status among male residents in a nursing home in Turkey. Fat free mass (FFM) was detected by bioelectric impedance analysis. Functional status was evaluated with Katz activities of daily living (ADL) and Lawton Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Nutritional assessment was performed by Mini Nutritional Assessment Test (MNA(R)). One hundred fifty-seven male residents composed the study cohort. Mean age was 73.1 +/- 6.7 years. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 85.4%. No significant correlation was found between sarcopenia and ADL or IADL. There was a weak but significant correlation between IADL score and FFM (r = 0.18; p = 0.02). Sarcopenic residents had lower MNA score than non-sarcopenic residents (18.1 +/- 3.2 vs. 21.8 +/- 0.8, p = 0.02). FFM was significantly lower in the residents with malnutrition compared to well-nourished residents (26.8 +/- 1 kg/body surface area vs. 28.1 +/- 1.8 kg/body surface area, p < 0.05). In conclusion, the prevalence of sarcopenia was very high among male nursing home residents in Turkey. Sarcopenia was associated with low nutritional status but not with functional status.