Level and change in sarcopenia components predict adverse health outcomes : findings from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study

Author / Creator

ISTRC 2021 - International Sarcopenia Translational Research Conference (2021)

Conferences

ISTRC 2021 - International Sarcopenia Translational Research Conference Virtual Poster Competition (2021)

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Online

Summary

Background: Sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass, strength and function with age) is associated with disability, mortality and significant healthcare costs • Previous studies have examined measures of m...

Background: Sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass, strength and function with age) is associated with disability, mortality and significant healthcare costs • Previous studies have examined measures of muscle mass, strength and function in relation to adverse health outcomes • No studies have explored both levels and changes in these measures in relation to multiple health outcomes in a single cohort • We examined this among participants of the Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study. Methods: • Analyses were based on 1412 men and 1490 women (aged 70-79 years at baseline) from the Health ABC Study (USA) • Characteristics ascertained from baseline (Year 1) to Year 6 • Muscle function by gait speed • Muscle strength by grip dynamometry • Appendicular lean mass (ALM) from DXA • Exposures for gait speed, grip strength and ALM • Mean levels over Years 1 to 6 • Change in z-scores (age and sex-specific) from Years 1 to 6 using linear mixed models • Time-to-first-event Cox regression was used to examine exposures in relation to adverse health outcomes. All models accounted for age, sex and ethnicity; fully-adjusted models also accounted for socio-demographic, lifestyle and clinical characteristics. • 10-year follow-up of outcomes after Year 6 • Deaths (adjudicated) • Hospital admissions (self-reported and adjudicated) • Low trauma fractures (self-reported and adjudicated) • Falls (self-reported). Results: • Participant characteristics are presented in Table 1 • Sarcopenia components were greater among men • Deaths and hospital admissions were more common among men • Low trauma fractures and falls were more common among women • Predictors of adverse health outcomes (Figure 1) • Mortality: lower levels and greater declines in each component • Hospital admission: lower levels and greater declines in each component; p=0.06 for ALM level • Low trauma fracture: lower levels of each component and greater declines in gait speed • Falls: lower gait speed and grip strength and greater declines in gait speed and ALM. Conclusion: • Lower levels and greater declines in muscle mass, strength and function predicted adverse outcomes • Lower gait speed and grip strength were more strongly associated with outcomes than lower ALM • Lifecourse interventions to maximise peak levels in earlier life and to reduce declines in later life may reduce disease burden in this age group.

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