The prevalence of sarcopenic obesity and its relationship with type 2 diabetes in a nursing home

Diabetes mellitus (DM), sarcopenia, and sarcopenic obesity (SO) in the elderly were related to frailty, morbidity, and mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of diabetes mellitus to the prevalence of SO in a nursing home residents.

This cross-sectional study included 397 old-aged (≥65 years) nursing home residents dwelling in Darulaceze Directorate Kayısdagı Campus of Istanbul. Exclusion criteria included <65 years of age, residing for less than a month, acute medical problems, and severe cognitive impairment (mini-mental state examination test score ≤10). Demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, nutritional status, and handgrip strength were evaluated for each participant. Sarcopenia was defined according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) II criteria and obesity was defined with body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2. SO was the concomitant existence of sarcopenia and obesity together.

Mean age of the participants was 77.95±7.94 (65-101) years (n=397). The prevalence of probable sarcopenia was significantly higher in non-obese patients when compared to obese (48.1% vs. 29.3%, p=0.014), which was similar after the exclusion of malnourished residents. In DM patients (n=63), the prevalence of obesity, probable sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity were 30.2%, 42.2%, and 13.3%, which were 20.4%, 43.2%, and 6.5% in non-DM residents, respectively.

Although they did not reach statistical significance, obesity and sarcopenic obesity were more prevalent among diabetic patients in a nursing home.