Prevalence And Determinant Factors Of Muscle Wasting In Hospitalized Elderly Chinese

Background:The age-related skeletal muscle loss was associated with various adverse outcomes, and was strongly related to mortality and physical disability of older people, which denoted the concept of sarcopenia. In 2014, the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) developed a consensus for sarcopenia diagnosis.Methods:Our research included 694 subjects (324 men and 370 women) who were examined using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The prevalence of muscle wasting was defined separately using the cut-off values of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) and the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. We also evaluated the relationship of skeletal muscle loss with relevant factors.Results:The prevalence of muscle wasting was 45.9%in men and 36.7%in women using the AWGS’s definition, and it was 56.6%in men and 28.6%in women using the EWGSOP’s definition. The difference in prevalence was significant in men but not in women using the two working groups’ cut-off values. Multiple regression analysis showed that appendicular skeletal muscle mass/height2 was associated with total skeletal muscle mass/height2(TSM/height2), BMI, android/gynoid fat ratio, thyroid-stimulating hormone, HDL-C, estimated visceral adipose tissue mass, body fat percentage, HbAlc and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in men and with TSM/height2, BMI, number of lymphocytes, prealbumin, HDL-C, body fat percentage and fasting blood glucose in women.Conclusions:Relatively high weight and low levels of metabolism were protective factors against muscle wasting. Obesity, high blood glucose or diabetes, a poor nutritional state and a high inflammatory response level were risk factors for muscle wasting.