Abstract
Background: Sarcopenia is a common clinical condition among elderly population. Sarcopenia is characterized by progressive generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength with an increased risk of adverse outcomes as physical disability, poor quality of life, and death.
Aim: To evaluate prevalence of sarcopenia in hospitalized elderly patients.
Methods: A cross sectional study, included 127 elderly participants, men and women, 60 years old and above, who were admitted to geriatric department in Ain Shams University Hospital (El-Demerdash). Sarcopenia was defined according to EWGSOP criteria (European Working Groups on Sarcopenia in Older People) as low skeletal mass with either low hand grip strength or slow gait speed. Muscle mass was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).
Results: Sarcopenia was found in 31% of all the study participants. Prevalence of sarcopenia was 47% among men and 14% among women. Sarcopenic participants had more functional decline and poor nutritional status. Malnutrition was present in 80% of sarcopenic men and 77% of sarcopenic women. Sarcopenia was associated with an increased risk of fall that was 90% among men and 88.9% among women. Elderly with sarcopenia had lower serum total protein and albumin levels.
Conclusions: Sarcopenia is highly prevalent among elderly Egyptian hospitalized patients. It is a hidden, although common, medical condition among elderly that can compromise their health, functional ability, and quality of life.