Prevalence of sarcopenia among community-dwelling, young elderly people living in Manizales, Colombia

Abstract

The role of sarcopenia in the elderly has received increased attention across a number of disciplines in recent years. In 2010 the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) defined the condition as the loss of muscle mass plus low muscle strength or low physical performance, associated with age. There is little published research on this issue in Colombia and South America. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia according to the criteria of the EWGSOP in the elderly population of Colombia who live in the community. Two hundred and ten subjects were studied. Muscle mass (The main component of sarcopenia as it is defined) was estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis from which the skeletal muscle mass index was calculated. Muscle strength was measured through hand dynamometry and physical performance using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Based on the reference values which are themselves based on U.S. or Asian population reference cut off points, an overall prevalence of sarcopenia of 52.8% or 15.7% respectively was found. The prevalence of sarcopenia in the studied population is within the ranges reported worldwide in different populations. However, there are variations depending on the cut off points and diagnostic tools used for its definition and to estimate muscle mass.