Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional study in Türkiye

Sarcopenia is a multifactorial skeletal muscle disease commonly observed in the geriatric population. It is influenced by hormonal changes that occur during the postmenopausal period. This study aims to evaluate the sarcopenia status of postmenopausal women.

The study included 300 postmenopausal women. Sarcopenia was defined according to the updated European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP-2) definition.

Of the evaluated patients, 44.7% (n = 134) and 15.4% (n = 46) were sarcopenic and sarcopenic obese, respectively. Older age, the number of chronic diseases, medications used and the status of polypharmacy were significantly higher in the sarcopenic group (all p < 0.050). Non-obese patients with sarcopenia showed greater dependence in activities of daily living (ADLs) (p = 0.002) and instrumental ADLs (IADLs) (p = 0.001). In ADLs (p = 0.001) and IADLs (p = 0.001), non-sarcopenic obese patients showed greater independence. Postmenopausal sarcopenia was related to older age (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI): [1.04-1.10]; p < 0.001), the presence of osteoporosis (HR: 1.86, 95% CI: [1.05-3.30]; p = 0.034) and the existence of vasomotor symptoms (HR: 2.30, 95% CI: [1.31-4.04]; p = 0.004).

This study highlights the importance of sarcopenia awareness among specialists providing healthcare services to postmenopausal patients. The study underscores the significance of initiating preventive and treatment strategies for at-risk patients before they reach old age.