Long-Term Mortality Risk in Older Adults with Sarcopenia: An 11-Year Prospective Cohort Study Comparing AWGS 2014 and...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Clinical Diagnostics
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Sarcopenia, a geriatric syndrome characterized by progressive muscle loss, impacts mobility and health in older adults.
• Accurate diagnostic criteria are crucial for timely intervention and management of sarcopenia.
• The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) updated its guidelines in 2019, necessitating a comparison with the 2014 criteria.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic accuracy of the AWGS 2019 criteria against the AWGS 2014 guidelines for sarcopenia.
• To evaluate the predictive value of both AWGS criteria for mortality in community-dwelling older adults.

Main Methods:

• A prospective population-based cohort study involving 731 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 65 years.
• Muscle strength (handgrip), walking speed, and muscle mass (DXA) were assessed.
• Sarcopenia was defined using both AWGS 2014 and AWGS 2019 criteria, and 11-year mortality was tracked.

Main Results:

• The prevalence of sarcopenia was 8.5% by AWGS 2019 and 6.8% by AWGS 2014.
• AWGS 2019 criteria significantly predicted mortality (HR 1.62), whereas AWGS 2014 did not.
• The AWGS 2019 criteria demonstrated superior model fitness for predicting mortality.

Conclusions:

• The AWGS 2019 guidelines are more effective than AWGS 2014 in identifying sarcopenia and predicting mortality risk in older adults.
• Screening for sarcopenia using the updated criteria can aid in identifying at-risk individuals, potentially improving health outcomes.
• These findings support the clinical utility of the AWGS 2019 criteria for sarcopenia diagnosis and risk stratification.