Journal of Internal Medicine Concepts & Practice ›› 2023, Vol. 18 ›› Issue (02): 76-82.doi: 10.16138/j.1673-6087.2023.02.003

• Original article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effect of sarcopenia combined with abdominal obesity on muscle strength and physical function in hospitalized elderly

ZHANG Yina, SHEN Honghuaa, XU Yiminga, REN Leia(), LI junb, WU Shunjunc, LING Xiaonanc   

  1. Department of Respiratory Rehabilitation; b. Department of Radiography; c. Department of Rehabilitation Therapy and Management, the Fourth Rehabilitation Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai 200042, China
  • Received:2022-12-29 Online:2023-04-25 Published:2023-05-15

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the effect of sarcopenia combined with abdominal obesity on muscle strength and somatic function in the elderly. Methods A total of 94 patients who met the admission criteria were enrolled in the ninth ward and comprehensive ward of Shanghai Fourth Rehabilitation Hospital from January to June in 2021. Bioelectrical impedance analysis(BIA) was used to measure the body composition in all subjects, and muscle strength and somatic function were evaluated, and lumbar 3 vertebral CT image analysis was used to assess the fat distribution in all patients with sarcopenia. Stepwise regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of muscle strength and somatic function in them. Results The prevalence of sarcopenia among elderly hospitalized patients was 70.7% in men and 69.8% in women, and the proportion of abdominal obesity was 39.0% in men and 40.0% in women. In patients with sarcopenia and abdominal obesity, the scores of muscle strength and somatic function in men were significantly lower than those in the non-sarcopenia group (P<0.05), and also lower than those in the sarcopeniaonly only group, in which the five-repetition-sit-to-stand test (5STS) time were significantly longer than those in the sarcopeniaonly only group (P<0.05). While the results in women were converse, in which the scores of muscle strength and somatic function significantly were lower than those in the non-sarcopenia group (P<0.05), while higher than or comparable to those in the sarcopeniaonly only group, in which the grip strength was significantly greater than that in the sarcopeniaonly only group(P<0.05). Stepwise regression analysis showed that 5STS time in male patients with sarcopenia was positively correlated with waist circumference, and negatively correlated with appendicular muscle mass index (ASMI) (P<0.05); in female patients: grip strength was negatively correlated with body mass index (BMI), and positively correlated with ASMI and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) (P<0.05). Bone mineral content(BMC) was negatively correlated with 5STS(P<0.05). Conclusions Abdominal obesity aggravated the deterioration of muscle strength and somatic function in male sarcopenia patients, and the protective effect on female sarcopenia patients could be due to a certain amount of subcutaneous fat and higher ASMI and BMC.

Key words: Elderly, Sarcopenia, Abdominal obesity, Muscle strength, Somatic function

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