Abstract
Objective
To describe the prevalence of sarcopenia in a large group of community-dwelling older
adults using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 definition and algorithm.
Design
Cross-sectional data analysis of a cohort study.
Setting
The Nationwide Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS).
Participants
A total of 2123 ambulatory community-dwelling older adults, aged 70 to 84 years (mean,
75.9 ± 3.9 years; 49.5% women) were enrolled in the KFACS.
Methods
Appendicular skeletal muscle mass was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.
Physical function was assessed by handgrip strength, usual gait speed, the 5-times-sit-to-stand
test, the timed up-and-go test, and the Short Physical Performance Battery. In a case-finding
assessment, screening for sarcopenia was performed using the calf circumference (CC),
SARC-F questionnaire, and SARC-F combined with CC (SARC-CalF).
Results
According to the AWGS 2019 algorithm, 43.5%, 7.5%, and 26.0% of the subjects in the
whole study sample were classified as those at risk for sarcopenia according to CC,
SARC-F, and SARC-CalF, respectively. The prevalence rates of possible sarcopenia using
3 screening tools for case-finding and muscle strength or physical performance tests
according to the AWGS 2019 diagnostic algorithm were 20.1% in men and 29.2% in women.
The prevalence rates of sarcopenia, when defined as low muscle mass plus low handgrip
strength and/or slow gait speed, were significantly higher according to the AWGS 2019
(21.3% in men and 13.8% in women) than the AWGS 2014 (10.3% in men and 8.1% in women)
definitions. The prevalence of severe sarcopenia was 6.4% in men and 3.2% in women.
Conclusions/Implications
The results of our study suggest that the use of CC and SARC-CalF to screen for possible
sarcopenia may be more suited than using the SARC-F questionnaire alone according
to the AWGS 2019 diagnostic algorithm in community-dwelling adults aged 70 to 84 years.
The prevalence of sarcopenia was significantly higher according to the AWGS 2019 than
AWGS 2014 criteria.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 05, 2020
Footnotes
This research was supported by a grant from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korean Health Industry Development Institute, funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (grant number: HI15C3153).
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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© 2020 AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.
