Patterns of intrinsic capacity impairment and their longitudinal association with possible sarcopenia in older...

To investigate the associations between different patterns of intrinsic capacity (IC) impairment and incident preclinical "possible sarcopenia".

A longitudinal cohort study using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, 2011-2015). Latent class analysis (LCA) was applied to identify IC impairment patterns among 1667 adults aged ≥60 years, followed by Cox regression to examine longitudinal associations. Sensitivity analyses stratified by sex and age evaluated the robustness of findings.

Possible sarcopenia, defined according to AWGS 2019 criteria, assessed in 2013 and 2015.

Four IC impairment patterns were identified. Compared with those with the "relatively healthy" pattern (Class 1), those with "locomotion decline" (Class 2) (3 years, HR = 1.64, 95% CI 1.27-2.11; 5 years, HR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.01-1.67), "locomotion and sensory decline" (Class 3) (3 years, HR = 1.39, 95% CI 1.06-1.82), and "locomotion, psychological, and sensory decline" (Class 4) (3 years, HR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.23-2.04; 5 years, HR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.25-2.03) showed higher risks of possible sarcopenia. Sensitivity analyses indicated stronger associations for Class 4 in women and those aged 60-70 years.

Distinct multidimensional IC impairment patterns, identified through LCA, significantly predicted possible sarcopenia. The results of Cox regression underscore the utility of IC profiles in identifying high-risk populations and support low-cost, community-based screening and interventions.