[Association between chronic diseases and possible sarcopenia in middle-aged and older Chinese men: A prospective...

To investigate the association between chronic diseases and the risk of possible sarcopenia among middle-aged and older Chinese males.

This prospective cohort study included the data collected from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study on 4 878 males aged over 45 years without possible sarcopenia as the baseline population in 2011 and 2013, and all were followed up until 2015. Possible sarcopenia was determined by measuring the grip strength and the time of five successive sit-ups. The Cox proportional risk model was used to analyze the relationship of the type and number of chronic diseases with the risk of possible sarcopenia in males.

The risk of possible sarcopenia in the middle-aged and older men with prostatic disease, cognitive impairment or depression was increased by 16% (HR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.01－1.33), 23% (HR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.10－1.38) and 12% (HR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.01－1.24), respectively. The risk in those with one, two or three or more chronic diseases was raised by 22% (HR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.04－1.42), 20% (HR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.02－1.42) and 46% (HR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.25－1.71), respectively, compared with those without chronic diseases, and it was increased in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.01) Conclusion: Prostatic disease, cognitive impairment and depression increase the risk of possible sarcopenia in middle-aged and older Chinese males, and the risk rises with the increased number of chronic comorbidities.