Examination of osteosarcopenia in patients over 65 years old with hip fracture

There is limited knowledge regarding the clinical, biochemical, and functional characteristics of patients with osteosarcopenia. The present study aims to explore the presence of osteosarcopenia in patients aged 65 years and over who have a history of falls and hip fractures.

Seventy-six participants (77.6% women) aged 65 years and over (mean age 81±6.75 years) were admitted to the orthopedic clinic of our hospital due to hip fracture. The diagnosis of osteopenia/osteoporosis was established based on the bone mineral density measurement using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The SARC-F scale was used to screen patients for sarcopenia. The muscle mass was determined by the appendicular lean mass (ALM). The muscle strength was evaluated by the handgrip strength. SPSS for Windows 25.0 (IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences) software package was used in the statistical analysis of the study data.

A total of 76 patients were evaluated, including 59 (77.6%) females and 17 (22.4%) males. The mean age of the patients was 81±6.75 years. The prevalence of osteosarcopenia in the entire study group was 36.8%. The prevalence rate was higher in males (59%) than in females (30.5%) (p<0.05). The ALM and the handgrip strength were lower in patients with osteosarcopenia (p<0.05). The mean body weight, total fat mass, fat mass index, and upper arm circumference were the lowest in the group of patients with osteosarcopenia (p<0.05).

The present study found that the prevalence of osteosarcopenia was higher in patients with hip fracture. There is a limited number of studies in literature directly evaluating the relationship between osteosarcopenia and hip fracture. The presence of osteosarcopenia is often overlooked when the bone fracture is the prevailing clinical condition. Osteosarcopenia is frequently the accompanying diagnosis in patients with hip fracture.