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Background Low grip strength and gait speed are associated with mortality. However, investigation of the additional mortality risk explained by these measures, over and above other factors, is limited. Aim We examined whether grip strength and gait speed improve discriminative capacity for mortality over and above more readily obtainable clinical risk factors. Methods Participants from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study, Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study, and the Hertfordshire Cohort Study were analysed. Appendicular lean mass (ALM) was ascertained using DXA; muscle strength by grip dynamometry; and usual gait speed over 2.4–6 m. Verified deaths were recorded. Associations between sarcopenia components and mortality were examined using Cox regression with cohort as a random effect; discriminative capacity was assessed using Harrell’s Concordance Index (C-index). Results Mean (SD) age of participants ( n  = 8362) was 73.8(5.1) years; 5231(62.6%) died during a median follow-up time of 13.3 years. Grip strength (hazard ratio (95% CI) per SD decrease: 1.14 (1.10,1.19)) and gait speed (1.21 (1.17,1.26)), but not ALM index (1.01 (0.95,1.06)), were associated with mortality in mutually-adjusted models after accounting for age, sex, BMI, smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity, ethnicity, education, history of fractures and falls, femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD), self-rated health, cognitive function and number of comorbidities. However, a model containing only age and sex as exposures gave a C-index (95% CI) of 0.65(0.64,0.66), which only increased to 0.67(0.67,0.68) after inclusion of grip strength and gait speed. Conclusions Grip strength and gait speed may generate only modest adjunctive risk information for mortality compared with other more readily obtainable risk factors.

Background: There are limited data on outcomes of older patients with chronic diseases. Skeletal muscle loss of aging (primary sarcopenia) has been extensively studied but the impact of secondary sarcopenia of chronic disease is not as well evaluated. Older patients with chronic diseases have both primary and secondary sarcopenia that we term compound sarcopenia. We evaluated the clinical impact of compound sarcopenia in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis given the increasing number of patients and high prevalence of sarcopenia in these patients. Design: The Nationwide Inpatients Sample (NIS) database (years 2010–2014) was analyzed to study older patients with cirrhosis. Since there is no universal hospital diagnosis code for “muscle loss”, we used a comprehensive array of codes for “muscle loss phenotype” in the international classification of diseases-9 (ICD-9). A randomly selected 2% sample of hospitalized general medical population (GMP) and inpatients with cirrhosis were stratified into 3 age groups based on age-related changes in muscle mass. In-hospital mortality, length of stay (LoS), cost of hospitalization (CoH), comorbidities and discharge disposition were analyzed. Results. Of 517,605 hospitalizations for GMP and 106,835 hospitalizations for treatment of cirrhosis or a cirrhosis-related complication, 207,266 (40.4%) GMP and 29,018 (27.7%) patients with cirrhosis were >65 years old, respectively. Muscle loss phenotype in both GMP and inpatients with cirrhosis 51–65 years old and >65 years old was significantly (p < 0.001 for all) associated with higher mortality, LoS, and CoH compared to those ≤50 years old. Patients >65 years old with cirrhosis and muscle loss phenotype had higher mortality (adjusted OR: 1.06, 95% CI [1.04, 1.08] and CoH (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.04, 1.08])) when compared to >65 years old GMP with muscle loss phenotype. Muscle loss in younger patients with cirrhosis (≤50 years old) was associated with worse outcomes compared to GMP >65 years old. Non-home discharges (nursing, skilled, long-term care) were more frequent with increasing age to a greater extent in patients with cirrhosis with muscle loss phenotype for each age stratum. Conclusion: Muscle loss is more frequent in older patients with cirrhosis than younger patients with cirrhosis and older GMP. Younger patients with cirrhosis had clinical outcomes similar to those of older GMP, suggesting an accelerated senescence in cirrhosis. Compound sarcopenia in older patients with cirrhosis is associated with higher inpatient mortality, increased LoS, and CoH compared to GMP with sarcopenia.

Background Age-related muscle loss (that is, sarcopenia) is a common health problem among older people. Physical exercise and dietary protein have been emphasized in prevention and treatment of sarcopenia. Rigorous trials investigating the effects of protein supplementation on physical performance in sarcopenic populations are still scarce. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of protein supplementation along with simple home-based exercises on physical performance among home-dwelling sarcopenic older people. Methods/Design During 2012 the entire 75 and older population (N = 3,275) living in Porvoo, Finland was contacted via a postal questionnaire. Persons at risk of sarcopenia are screened with hand grip strength and gait speed. Poorly performing persons are further examined by segmental bioimpendance spectroscopy to determine their skeletal muscle index. Sarcopenic patients (target N = 250) will be enrolled in a 12-month randomized controlled trial with three arms: 1) no supplementation, 2) protein supplementation (20 grams twice a day), and 3) isocaloric placebo. All the participants will receive instructions on simple home-based exercises, dietary protein, and vitamin D supplementation (20 μg/d). The recruitment of patients will be completed during 2013. The primary endpoint of the trial is the change in short physical performance battery score and percentage of patients maintaining or improving their physical performance. Secondary endpoints will be, among other things, changes in muscle functions, nutritional status, body composition, cognition, quality of life, use of health care services, falls, and mortality. The assessment times will be 0, 6, 12 and 24 months. Discussion To our knowledge, this is the first large scale randomized controlled trial among community dwelling older people with sarcopenia that focuses on the effects of protein supplementation on physical performance. Trial registration ACTRN12612001253897 , date of registration 28 October 2012, first patient was randomized 11 April 2012.

Objective The purpose of this umbrella review was to assess the associations between sarcopenia and adverse health‐related outcomes. Design An umbrella review of meta‐analyses of observational studies. Setting and Participants Patients with sarcopenia and controls without sarcopenia were included. Measures The PubMed, Web of Science and Embase were searched for relevant systematic review and meta‐analysis. AMSTAR and GRADE system were used for methodological quality and evidence quality assessments, respectively. Results Totally 54 outcomes extracted from 30 meta‐analyses were analyzed. Twenty out of 21 prognostic outcomes indicated that sarcopenia was significantly associated with poorer prognosis of gastric cancer, hepatocellular cancer, urothelial cancer, head and neck cancer, hematological malignancy, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and ovarian cancer. Besides, 10 out of 16 postoperative outcomes suggested that sarcopenia significantly increased the risk of multiple postoperative complications and prolonged the length of hospitalization of patients with digestive cancer. In age‐related outcomes, sarcopenia significantly increased the risk of dysphagia, cognitive impairment, fractures, falls, hospitalization, and all‐cause mortality of elderly populations. Moreover, sarcopenia was also associated with higher level of albuminuria, risk of depression, and several metabolic diseases. Conclusions and Implications Sarcopenia significantly affected a wide range of adverse health‐related outcomes, particularly in patients of tumor and elderly populations. Because evidences of most outcomes were rated as “low” and “very low,” more prospective cohort studies are required in the future. Sarcopenia significantly affected a wide range of adverse health‐related outcomes, particularly in patients of tumor and elderly populations. Besides, associations between sarcopenia and risk of metabolic diseases, depression and albuminuria were also noticeable.

BackgroundSarcopenia, visceral obesity (VO), and reduced muscle radiodensity (myosteatosis) are suggested risk factors for postoperative morbidity in colorectal cancer (CRC), but usually are not concurrently assessed. Published thresholds used to define these features are not CRC-specific and are defined in relation to mortality, not postoperative outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate body composition in relation to length of hospital stay (LOS) and postoperative outcomes.MethodsPre-surgical computed tomography (CT) images were assessed for total area and radiodensity of skeletal muscle and visceral adipose tissue in a pooled Canadian and UK cohort (n = 2100). Sex- and age-specific values for these features were calculated. For 1139 of 2100 patients, LOS data were available, and sex- and age-specific thresholds for sarcopenia, myosteatosis, and VO were defined on the basis of LOS. Association of CT-defined features with LOS and readmissions was explored using negative binomial and logistic regression models, respectively.ResultsIn the multivariable analysis, the predictors of LOS (P < 0.001) were age, surgical approach, major complications (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 2.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.18–2.68), study cohort, and three body composition profiles characterized by myosteatosis combined with either sarcopenia (IRR, 1.27; 95% CI 1.12–1.43) or VO (IRR, 1.25; 95% CI 1.10–1.42), and myosteatosis combined with both sarcopenia and VO (IRR, 1.58; 95% CI 1.29–1.93). In the multivariable analysis, risk of readmission was associated with VO alone (odds ratio [OR] 2.66; 95% CI 1.18–6.00); P = 0.018), VO combined with myosteatosis (OR, 2.72; 95% CI 1.36–5.46; P = 0.005), or VO combined with myosteatosis and sarcopenia (OR, 2.98; 95% CI 1.06–5.46; P = 0.038). Importantly, the effect of body composition profiles on LOS and readmission was independent of major complications.ConclusionThe findings showed that CT-defined multidimensional body habitus is independently associated with LOS and hospital readmission.

Background Skeletal muscle depletion (sarcopenia) is closely associated with limited physical ability and high mortality. This study was performed to evaluate the prognostic significance of skeletal muscle depletion in patients with resectable stage I–III colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of 220 consecutive patients with stage I–III CRC who underwent curative resection. The skeletal muscle cross-sectional area was measured by preoperative computed tomography. The lowest sex-specific quartile of skeletal muscle mass was classified as sarcopenia. Factors contributing to recurrence-free survival (RFS) were analyzed by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. Results Of 220 patients who met our inclusion criteria, 55 (25 %) had sarcopenia. The median follow-up duration was 41.4 months. Patients with sarcopenia were younger and had higher carcinoembryonic antigen levels than patients without sarcopenia. RFS and overall survival (OS) were significantly shorter in patients with sarcopenia than those without (5-year RFS, 56 vs. 79 %, log-rank p  = 0.006; 5-year OS, 68 vs. 85 %, log-rank p  = 0.015). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that sarcopenia was independently associated with shorter RFS (hazard ratio [HR] 2.176; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.200–3.943; p  = 0.010) and OS (HR 2.270; 95 % CI 1.147–4.494; p  = 0.019). The influence of sarcopenia on patient outcome was modified by age at surgery ( p value for interaction = 0.026); sarcopenia was associated with a poor prognosis, especially in young patients (log-rank p  < 0.001). Conclusions Sarcopenia negatively impacts survival in patients undergoing curative resection for stage I–III CRC.

Sarcopenia is characterized by the loss of skeletal muscle mass, and is reported to appear in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with LC, and to test the association between sarcopenia and patient outcomes. We also analyzed the effect of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation on sarcopenic LC. Clinical and blood biochemical data of 130 patients with LC who underwent abdominal computed tomography scan were analyzed in this retrospective study. The cross-sectional area of skeletal muscles was measured at the level of the third lumbar vertebra on the scan. The skeletal muscle index was calculated to identify sarcopenia. Cirrhotic patients who were treated with BCAA supplementation of 12 g/d for ≥1 y were defined as the BCAA group, and the effect of BCAA on sarcopenic LC was evaluated. Sixty-eight percent of all patients (82% of men and 50% of women) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. Male sex (P = 0.01) and body mass index (P < 0.0001) were predictors of sarcopenia. The multivariate Cox proportional hazards model found BCAA supplementation (hazard ratio [HR], 0.38; P = 0.01), sarcopenia (HR, 3.03; P < 0.01), and Child-Pugh classes B (HR, 2.39; P = 0.03) and C (HR, 5.49; P < 0.001) to be independently associated with mortality. The mortality of sarcopenic LC was significantly higher than that of non-sarcopenic LC (P = 0.01). Moreover, BCAA supplementation improved the survival of sarcopenic patients in subgroup analysis (P < 0.01). Sarcopenia is significantly associated with mortality in patients with LC. BCAA supplementation might be associated with improved survival of such patients. •We investigate the incidence of sarcopenia in cirrhotic patients.•We examine the relation between sarcopenia and patient outcomes.•We analyze the effect of branched-chain amino acid supplementation on sarcopenic patients.•Sarcopenia is associated with mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis.•Branched-chain amino acid supplementation is associated with improved survival of sarcopenic patients.

A new term, malnutrition-sarcopenia syndrome (MSS), was recently coined to describe the clinical presentation of both malnutrition and sarcopenia. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between MSS and long-term mortality in older inpatients. We conducted a prospective study in acute geriatric wards of two local hospitals in China. Muscle mass and malnutrition were estimated by anthropometric measures and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Of the 453 participants, 14 (3.1%) had sarcopenia with normal nutrition, 139 (30.7%) had malnutrition risk without sarcopenia, 48 (10.6%) had malnutrition risk with sarcopenia, 25 (5.5%) had malnutrition without sarcopenia, and 22 (4.9%) had MSS at baseline. Compared with non-sarcopenic subjects with normal nutrition, subjects with MSS and subjects with malnutrition risk and sarcopenia were more than four times more likely to die (hazard ratio [HR], 4.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.09–10.97; and HR, 4.25; 95% CI, 2.22–8.12, respectively); non-sarcopenic subjects with malnutrition risk were more than two times more likely to die (HR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.32–4.39). In conclusion, MSS may serve as a prognostic factor in the management of hospitalized older patients.

Background: Sarcopenia is defined as the loss of skeletal muscle mass and quality, which accelerates with aging and is associated with functional decline. Rising obesity prevalence has led to a high-risk group with both disorders. We assessed mortality risk associated with sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in elders. Methods: A subsample of 4652 subjects ⩾60 years of age was identified from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (1988–1994), a cross-sectional survey of non-institutionalized adults. National Death Index data were linked to this data set. Sarcopenia was defined using a bioelectrical impedance formula validated using magnetic resonance imaging-measured skeletal mass by Janssen et al. Cutoffs for total skeletal muscle mass adjusted for height 2 were sex-specific (men: ⩽5.75 kg/m 2 ; females ⩽10.75 kg/m 2 ). Obesity was based on % body fat (males: ⩾27%, females: ⩾38%). Modeling assessed mortality adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity (model 1), comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, congestive heart failure, osteoporosis, cancer, coronary artery disease and arthritis), smoking, physical activity, self-reported health (model 2) and mobility limitations (model 3). Results: Mean age was 70.6±0.2 years and 57.2% were female. Median follow-up was 14.3 years (interquartile range: 12.5–16.1). Overall prevalence of sarcopenia was 35.4% in women and 75.5% in men, which increased with age. Prevalence of obesity was 60.8% in women and 54.4% in men. Sarcopenic obesity prevalence was 18.1% in women and 42.9% in men. There were 2782 (61.7%) deaths, of which 39.0% were cardiovascular. Women with sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity had a higher mortality risk than those without sarcopenia or obesity after adjustment (model 2, hazard ratio (HR): 1.35 (1.05–1.74) and 1.29 (1.03–1.60)). After adjusting for mobility limitations (model 3), sarcopenia alone (HR: 1.32 ((1.04–1.69) but not sarcopenia with obesity (HR: 1.25 (0.99–1.58)) was associated with mortality. For men, the risk of death with sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity was nonsignificant in both model-2 (HR: 0.98 (0.77–1.25), and HR: 0.99 (0.79–1.23)) and model 3 (HR: 0.98 (0.77–1.24) and HR: 0.98 (0.79–1.22)). Conclusions: Older women with sarcopenia have an increased all-cause mortality risk independent of obesity.

Background Individualised risk prediction is crucial if targeted pre-operative risk reduction strategies are to be deployed effectively. Radiologically determined sarcopenia has been shown to predict outcomes across a range of intra-abdominal pathologies. Access to pre-operative cross-sectional imaging has resulted in a number of studies investigating the predictive value of radiologically assessed sarcopenia over recent years. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine whether radiologically determined sarcopenia predicts post-operative morbidity and mortality following abdominal surgery. Method CENTRAL, EMBASE and MEDLINE databases were searched using terms to capture the concept of radiologically assessed sarcopenia used to predict post-operative complications in abdominal surgery. Outcomes included 30 day post-operative morbidity and mortality, 1-, 3- and 5-year overall and disease-free survival and length of stay. Data were extracted and meta-analysed using either random or fixed effects model (Revman ® 5.3). Results A total of 24 studies involving 5267 patients were included in the review. The presence of sarcopenia was associated with a significant increase in major post-operative complications (RR 1.61 95% CI 1.24–4.15 p  = <0.00001) and 30-day mortality (RR 2.06 95% CI 1.02–4.17 p  = 0.04). In addition, sarcopenia predicted 1-, 3- and 5-year survival (RR 1.61 95% CI 1.36–1.91 p  = <0.0001, RR 1.45 95% CI 1.33–1.58 p  = <0.0001, RR 1.25 95% CI 1.11–1.42 p  = 0.0003, respectively) and 1- and 3-year disease-free survival (RR 1.30 95% CI 1.12–1.52 p  = 0.0008). Conclusion Peri-operative cross-sectional imaging may be utilised in order to predict those at risk of complications following abdominal surgery. These findings should be interpreted in the context of retrospectively collected data and no universal sarcopenic threshold. Targeted prehabilitation strategies aiming to reverse sarcopenia may benefit patients undergoing abdominal surgery.