Enhancing SARC-F: Improving Sarcopenia Screening in the Clinical Practice

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Sarcopenia, a geriatric syndrome, is characterized by progressive loss of muscle mass and strength.
• Early screening and diagnosis of sarcopenia are crucial for timely intervention and management.
• The SARC-F questionnaire is a potential tool for sarcopenia screening, but its efficacy requires validation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Brazilian Portuguese version of the SARC-F questionnaire.
• To assess SARC-F's performance in screening for sarcopenia and evaluating muscle function.
• To improve SARC-F's sarcopenia screening efficacy by combining it with calf circumference (CC).

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study was conducted with 179 community-dwelling elderly individuals (≥60 years).
• Sarcopenia was diagnosed using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria (DXA, handgrip strength, walking speed).
• Participants completed the SARC-F questionnaire, and calf circumference (CC) was measured; SARC-F+CC scores were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Sarcopenia prevalence was 8.4% based on EWGSOP criteria.
• SARC-F demonstrated good performance in evaluating muscle function (AUC=0.779) but not sarcopenia screening (AUC=0.592).
• The SARC-F+CC combination significantly improved sarcopenia screening performance (AUC=0.736, P=0.027) with enhanced sensitivity.

Conclusions:

• The SARC-F questionnaire, while effective for muscle function assessment, requires improvement for sarcopenia screening.
• Combining SARC-F with calf circumference (CC) significantly enhances its utility as a sarcopenia screening tool.
• The SARC-F+CC approach shows promise for practical clinical application in sarcopenia screening.