Obesity Impairs Functional Recovery of Older Stroke Patients with Possible Sarcopenia: A Retrospective Cohort Study

• Published in: Journal of clinical medicine Vol. 12; no. 11; p. 3676
• Main Authors: Kim, Na Young, Choi, Young-Ah
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 25.05.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Aged; Care and treatment; Clinical medicine; Cohort analysis; Complications and side effects; Health aspects; Mortality; Obesity; Physiological aspects; Prevention; Psychological aspects; rehabilitation; Risk factors; Sarcopenia; stroke; Stroke patients; Womens health; South Korea; rehabilitation; stroke; activities of daily living; obesity; sarcopenia
• ISSN: 2077-0383; 2077-0383
• DOI: 10.3390/jcm12113676

The functional prognosis of older patients with coexisting obesity and possible sarcopenia remains uncertain following acute stroke. This study aimed to determine whether coexisting obesity independently affects activities of daily living (ADL) and balance ability at discharge in older patients with possible sarcopenia admitted to a stroke rehabilitation ward. A total of 111 patients aged 65 years or older with possible sarcopenia were included, of whom 36 (32.4%) had coexisting obesity. Possible sarcopenia was diagnosed based on low handgrip strength without reduced muscle mass, while obesity was determined by body fat percentage (≥25% for men, ≥30% for women). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that compared to patients without obesity, patients with obesity had a higher likelihood of poorer ADL (b = -0.169; = 0.02) and balance ability (b = -0.14; = 0.04) performance at discharge following a 4-week period of inpatient rehabilitation. These findings suggest that obesity may be a modifiable risk factor in the rehabilitation of older patients with possible sarcopenia and should be considered in the assessment of decreased muscle strength.