Prevalence of Sarcopenia among Nursing Home Older Residents in Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Sarcopenia is highly prevalent in community dwelling older adults in many countries; however, the prevalence of sarcopenia in nursing home older residents is not well characterized. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of sarcopenia in nursing home older residents in Cairo. Cross sectional study was performed among 357 nursing home residents in Cairo. The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) recommendation was used for diagnosing sarcopenia. The study showed that the prevalence of sarcopenia in nursing home older residents in Cairo was 17.7%, 22.2% in elderly men and 14.4% in elderly women. Age, underweight and lack of physical activity were found to be associated with sarcopenia among studied participants. The study concluded that sarcopenia is an emerging health problem in nursing home older residents in Cairo.