Analysis of the Prevalence of Sarcopenia and Its Risk Factors in the Elderly in the Chengdu Community

To understand the prevalence of sarcopenia in the Chengdu community, analyze the risk factors of sarcopenia, and provide a theoretical basis for further development of strategies for sarcopenia prevention and treatment.

A total of 938 individuals aged 60 years and above were recruited from the community of Chengdu. Skeletal muscle mass was measured by the bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the Asian Sarcopenia Working Group (AWGS) 2019 diagnostic criteria. A scale was generated to determine the age, living habits, and chronic diseases of enrolled subjects. The Mini Mental Examination Scale (MMSE) was used to assess their cognitive function, and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) was used to identify depression.

Among the 938 residents enrolled in the study, 172 (18.34%) had sarcopenia, including 48 (5.12%) with severe sarcopenia. The prevalence of sarcopenia in males was 19.91% and 16.81% in females. According to the binary logistic regression, older age (OR = 1.104, 95%CI: 1.059–1.151) and impaired cognitive function (OR = 2.251, 95%CI: 1.145–4.424) were independent risk factors for sarcopenia in females. Among the males, older age (OR = 1.079, 95%CI: 1.037–1.124) was the independent risk factor for sarcopenia. A moderate increase in BMI reduced the prevalence of sarcopenia in both females and males. Multi-category logistic regression analysis documented that females of older age were more likely to develop severe sarcopenia (χ² = 16.769, P < 0.01 vs. no sarcopenia), females with lower BMI were more likely to develop severe sarcopenia (χ² = 13.654, P < 0.01 vs. no sarcopenia), females with heart disease were more likely to develop severe sarcopenia (χ² = 5.786, P = 0.016 vs. no sarcopenia; χ² = 5.791, P = 0.016 vs. non-severe sarcopenia), and females with impaired cognitive function were more likely to develop severe sarcopenia (χ² = 13.381, P < 0.01 vs. no sarcopenia; χ² = 7.529, P = 0.006 vs. non-severe sarcopenia). Males were more likely to develop severe sarcopenia with older age (χ² = 18.435, P < 0.01 vs. no sarcopenia; χ² = 9.8011, P=0.002 vs. non-severe sarcopenia), lower BMI (χ² = 12.736, P < 0.01 vs. no sarcopenia), smoking (χ² = 4.68, P = 0.031 vs. no sarcopenia; χ² = 5.652, P = 0.017 vs. non-severe sarcopenia), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (χ² = 5.517, P = 0.019 vs. no sarcopenia).

In the Chengdu community, the prevalence of sarcopenia among individuals 60 years of age or older was higher in males than in females. In elderly females, older age and impaired cognitive function were independent risk factors for sarcopenia. Women with more advanced age, decreased BMI, heart disease, and impaired cognitive function were more likely to develop severe sarcopenia. In elderly males, increased age was an independent risk factor for sarcopenia, and older age, decreased BMI, smoking, and COPD increased the probability of developing severe sarcopenia.