Polymorbidity and sarcopenia: a cross-sectional study of elderly women — ASN Events
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Polymorbidity and sarcopenia: a cross-sectional study of elderly women (#192)

Julie A Pasco 1 2 , Amanda L Stuart 1 , Kara L Holloway 1 , Pamela G Rufus 1 , Natalie K Hyde 1 , Lana J Williams 1 , Sophia X SUI 1 , Monica Tembo 1 , Mark A Kotowicz 1 2 3
  1. Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
  2. Melbourne Medical School-Western Campus, The University of Melbourne, St Albans, VIC, Australia
  3. Department of Endocrinology, Barwon Health, Geelong, VIC, Australia

Objective: Ageing is characterised by a progressive accumulation of damaged tissue. Age-related declines of muscle mass and function characterise sarcopenia, but links with other chronic diseases are less well documented. We aimed to investigate the relationship between sarcopenia and polymorbidity.

 Methods: Body composition was assessed by DXA (Lunar) in 245 women aged 65-98 years enrolled in the Geelong Osteoporosis Study. Low relative appendicular lean mass (rALM, kg/m2) was T-score<-1. Poor muscle function was defined as timed up-&-go >10s for 3m (high-TUG). Sarcopenia was identified by both low rALM and high-TUG. The presence of medical conditions (osteoporosis, arthritis, thyroid disease, metabolic disorders, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), gastrointestinal conditions, recurrent headaches, syncope/seizures, cardiac disease, pulmonary disease, liver disorders, psoriasis and cancer) was self-reported and/or confirmed by medical records, medication use or clinical data. Polymorbidity related to 4+ comorbid conditions. Associations between sarcopenia (and its components) and high comorbidity were determined using logistic regression after age adjustment.

 Results: No associations with polymorbidity were detected for sarcopenia (OR 1.24, 95%CI 0.54-2.87) or low rALM (OR 0.91, 95%CI 0.52-1.61), but women with high-TUG were almost 3-times more likely to have 4+ medical conditions (OR 2.90, 95%CI 1.62-5.17). The likelihood of high-TUG was observed for the 14 (14.4%) women with recurrent headaches (OR 3.85, 95%CI 1.49-9.95), 32 (33.0%) with pulmonary disease (OR 2.02, 95%CI 1.08-3.77), 27 (27.8%) with gastrointestinal disorders (OR 1.97, 95%CI 1.04-3.73) and 30 (30.9%) with GORD (OR 1.87, 95%CI 1.01-3.48).

 Conclusions: Whereas no association was found between sarcopenia and polymorbidity, high-TUG, which identifies poor mobility and balance, was clearly associated with high medical burden. While recognising that these are cross-sectional data, the finding supports the notion that chronic conditions might be associated more predominantly with loss of muscle function rather than muscle mass.