Sarcopenia in the Oldest-Old Adults in the Capital of Brazil: Prevalence and Its Associated Risk Factors

In light of the demographic context in which the older adult population is prominent, sarcopenia emerges as a significant concern for the health of these individuals.

To assess the frequency of sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia and the associated risk factors in the oldest adults living in the community.

There were 399 participants aged 80 or older, of both sexes, using primary health care services in the metropolitan area of Brasília, Brazil. Sarcopenia was evaluated based on European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 (EWGSOP2). Muscle mass was measured by calf circumference, muscle function by handgrip strength, and muscle performance by gait speed. Clinical and socioeconomic variables, comorbidities, falls, and urinary incontinence were collected. The prevalence of sarcopenia was calculated with a 95% (IC) prevalence. Multivariate Poisson regression analysis was performed in Stata, with p < 5%.

Among participants, 78.2% were women. Prevalence of pre-sarcopenia was 31.8%, sarcopenia 3.3%, and severe sarcopenia 25.1%. After multivariate regression, sarcopenia was associated with the female sex, low weight, and a dependency for activities of daily living (ADLs). Similarly, severe sarcopenia remained associated with female sex, low weight, and an ADLs dependency. Sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia were not associated with the level of education, marital status, income, physical activity, medications, falls, nor comorbidities.

A quarter of older adults had severe sarcopenia. Sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia were associated with being a woman, being low weight, and have an ADLs dependence.