J Korean Geriatr Soc.  2015 Dec;19(4):235-240. 10.4235/jkgs.2015.19.4.235.

The Prevalence of Sarcopenia in Korean Hospitalized Elderly

Affiliations
  • 1Division of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Bundang Jesaeng Hospital, Seongnam, Korea. hbaik@dmc.or.kr
  • 2Department of Food and Nutrition, Suwon Women's University, Suwon, Korea.
  • 3Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Bundang Jesaeng Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Sarcopenia is a syndrome characterized by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and muscle strength. Although data exist on the prevalence of sarcopenia among the community-dwelling elderly, there is no systematic research on hospitalized elderly patients in Korea, in accordance with the newly developed criteria.
METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Daejin Medical Center, Bundang Jesaeng Hospital, Korea, from May 2013 to March 2015. In this study, we evaluated the levels of hemoglobin, total cholesterol, serum albumin, serum prealbumin, and serum zinc. Handgrip strength was measured with a hand grip dynamometer (FT-7110). Furthermore, the skeletal muscle mass was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Sarcopenia was defined by skeletal muscle mass as measured with BIA, according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia.
RESULTS
Of the hospitalized elderly subjects, 40 (46.5%) had a definite diagnosis of sarcopenia and 46 (53.5%) had no sarcopenia. The prevalence of sarcopenia of the subjects was higher in males than females (males, 46.9% vs. females, 46.3%). The correlation analysis showed that the score of skeletal muscle index (SMI) was negatively correlated with age; whereas, it was positively correlated with the BMI, body weight, and serum prealbumin level.
CONCLUSION
The results of the study showed that sarcopenia was associated with several factors, including age, BMI, serum prealbumin level, among the study subjects. Sarcopenia can be used as a sensitive predictive marker for prognosis of the hospitalized elderly.

Keyword

Sarcopenia; Elderly; Hospitalization

MeSH Terms

Aged*
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Body Weight
Cholesterol
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diagnosis
Electric Impedance
Female
Hand
Hand Strength
Hospitalization
Humans
Korea
Male
Muscle Strength
Muscle, Skeletal
Prealbumin
Prevalence*
Prognosis
Sarcopenia*
Serum Albumin
Zinc
Cholesterol
Prealbumin
Serum Albumin
Zinc
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