Ann Geriatr Med Res.  2024 Dec;28(4):469-475. 10.4235/agmr.24.0088.

Effects of Sarcopenia on Changes in the Prevalence of Patients with Depressive Mood during Inpatient Geriatric Rehabilitation

• Shimizu A
• Maeda K
• Ueshima J
• Ishida Y
• Inoue T
• Murotani K
• Nagano A
• Mori N
• Ohno T
• Fujisima I

• KMID: 2562909
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4235/agmr.24.0088

Abstract

Background
The effect of sarcopenia on depressive mood during geriatric rehabilitation remains unclear. This study investigated the potential influence of sarcopenia on depressive mood among geriatric patients in a rehabilitation setting.
Methods
This observational cohort study enrolled 204 patients aged ≥65 years (mean age, 78.8±7.6 years; women, 45.1%) admitted to a rehabilitation unit between April 2020 and July 2021. Sarcopenia was diagnosed based on the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia: 2019 Consensus Update on Sarcopenia Diagnosis and Treatment criteria, which include low handgrip strength and muscle mass. Depressive mood was defined as a 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale score of ≥6 points. We applied logistic regression models to examine the influence of sarcopenia on depressive mood at discharge.
Results
We observed sarcopenia in 58.3% of patients. The logistic regression model showed that sarcopenia negatively influenced depressive mood at discharge (odds ratio=5.460; 95% confidence interval, 2.344–13.415). Of the 68 patients without depressive mood at admission, those with sarcopenia (n=31) had a significantly higher incidence of depressive mood at discharge compared with patients without sarcopenia (n=37) (41.9% vs. 16.2%, p=0.037).
Conclusion
Sarcopenia at admission negatively affected depressive mood at discharge from geriatric rehabilitation. Thus, early and routine assessment of sarcopenia is vital for patients undergoing geriatric rehabilitation.

Keyword

Sarcopenia; Functional status; Aging; Rehabilitation; Frail elderly