Clinical characteristics and risk factors of sarcopenia in elderly hemodialysis patients / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and related risk factors of sarcopenia in elderly patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis.Methods:This was a retrospectively study involving 135 elderly hemodialysis patients aged(70.6±7.7)years, with 46(34.1%)females and a mean hemodialysis duration of(3.2±2.9)years, at Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital.The incidence of sarcopenia in patients was examined by measuring handgrip strength, walking speed and muscle mass of the limbs using bioelectrical impedance analysis.Related risk factors were analyzed with univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results:Among 135 elderly hemodialysis patients, the incidence of sarcopenia was 62.9%(85 cases), and severe sarcopenia cases accounted for 44.4%(60 cases). Compared with the non-sarcopenia group, patients with sarcopenia were older, had lower body mass index(BMI)and handgrip strength, walked more slowly and had less muscle mass in their limbs.Advanced age, low BMI and long dialysis duration were correlated with the high incidence of sarcopenia in elderly dialysis patients.The odds ratio( OR)for sarcopenia increased by 12% per year, and the OR decreased by 32% with an increase of 1.0 kg/m 2 in BMI.Advanced age and lower BMI were also correlated with a high incidence of severe sarcopenia( OR=1.12, 95% CI 1.05~1.18; OR=0.84, 95% CI 0.74~0.95; all P<0.01). Conclusions:The incidence of sarcopenia is high in elderly hemodialysis patients and is closely related to advanced age and low body weight.Improving nutritional status and avoiding low body weight will help reduce the occurrence and development of sarcopenia in elderly hemodialysis patients.