Prevalence of sarcopenia and its association with functional and nutritional status among male residents in a nursing home in Turkey

• Published in: The aging male Vol. 13; no. 3; pp. 211 - 214
• Main Authors: Bahat, Gulistan, Saka, Bulent, Tufan, Fatih, Akin, Sibel, Sivrikaya, Süleyman, Yucel, Nurullah, Erten, Nilgun, Karan, Mehmet A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Informa UK Ltd 01.09.2010; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Adipose Tissue; Age differences; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cohort Studies; functional status; Gender differences; Geriatric Assessment; Homes for the Aged; Humans; Male; Males; Musculoskeletal system; nursing home; Nursing Homes; Nutrition; Nutritional Status - physiology; Prevalence; Sarcopenia; Sarcopenia - epidemiology; Sarcopenia - physiopathology; Turkey - epidemiology; Turkey
• ISSN: 1368-5538; 1473-0790
• DOI: 10.3109/13685538.2010.489130

The prevalence of sarcopenia differs between different populations, ages, gender and between settings such as the community and nursing homes. Studies on the association of sarcopenia with functional status revealed conflicting results whereas its association with nutritional status is well documented. We aimed at investigating the prevalence of sarcopenia and its association with functional and nutritional status among male residents in a nursing home in Turkey. Fat free mass (FFM) was detected by bioelectric impedance analysis. Functional status was evaluated with Katz activities of daily living (ADL) and Lawton Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Nutritional assessment was performed by Mini Nutritional Assessment Test (MNA®). One hundred fifty-seven male residents composed the study cohort. Mean age was 73.1 ± 6.7 years. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 85.4%. No significant correlation was found between sarcopenia and ADL or IADL. There was a weak but significant correlation between IADL score and FFM (r = 0.18; p = 0.02). Sarcopenic residents had lower MNA score than non-sarcopenic residents (18.1 ± 3.2 vs. 21.8 ± 0.8, p = 0.02). FFM was significantly lower in the residents with malnutrition compared to well-nourished residents (26.8 ± 1 kg/body surface area vs. 28.1 ± 1.8 kg/body surface area, p < 0.05). In conclusion, the prevalence of sarcopenia was very high among male nursing home residents in Turkey. Sarcopenia was associated with low nutritional status but not with functional status.