Geriatric and cardiometabolic syndromes in older adults with sarcopenic obesity: a comparative cross-sectional study with sarcopenia and obesity

Abstract

Background: Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is defined as the coexistence of sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass and strength) and obesity. Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is defined as the coexistence of sarcopenia, characterized by loss of muscle mass and strength, and obesity. It represents a growing but underrecognized condition among older adults, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Aim: To determine the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity and examine its association with cardiometabolic comorbidities, geriatric syndromes, and metabolic biomarkers among hospital-attending older adults in India. Results: Among the total participants screened (n = 419), we found that the prevalence of SO was 7.15%. SO patients had a significantly higher burden of comorbidities, including hypertension (67.74%), diabetes mellitus (70.97%), and hypothyroidism (35.48%) compared to other groups and individuals with SO were 6.4 times more likely to have cardiovascular comorbidity in comparison to the control group. While among the geriatric syndromes, the risk of malnutrition (51.6%) was more frequent. Additionally, among the blood biomarkers, elevated HbA1c (7.52 ± 1.43%) was significant in the SO group, indicating increased metabolic dysregulation risks. Conclusions: Sarcopenic obesity is prevalent among hospital-seeking older individuals in India and is associated with significant comorbidities, malnutrition, (CRP, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and HbA1c), underscoring increased inflammatory and metabolic risks in this population. There is a need to conduct prospective studies with larger samples to confirm the association and identify risk factors.