Unveiling a hidden burden: exploring sarcopenia in hospitalized older patients through concordance and cluster analysis

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia has been shown to be an important condition with the ability to predict negative health outcomes, especially in hospitalized older adults; hence, its accurate identification has an important role in the prognosis of older patients. AIM: The prevalence of sarcopenia among hospitalized older adults was assessed by employing three distinct diagnostic methods. METHODS: Older adults who were hospitalized were recruited. Bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to assess muscle mass and body composition. Sarcopenia was diagnosed via the European and Asian criteria and via a modified approach in which the Colombian cutoff points for handgrip and gait speed were used. Finally, a cluster analysis was performed to classify the population. RESULTS: The prevalence rates of sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia ranged from 7.3 to 31.6%. The agreement between approaches revealed substantial or almost perfect agreement in 30% of the sarcopenia comparisons and 46.6% of the severe sarcopenia comparisons. The cluster analysis defined three different clusters. The first cluster was associated with increased age, BMI and body fat and poorer functional status and muscle. The second cluster was the healthiest, with high functional status and muscle mass. The third cluster had intermediate characteristics. DISCUSSION: This study highlights the requirements for standardized diagnostic criteria and precise body composition assessment tools in acute geriatric units and highlights the heterogeneity of older adults. Accurate assessment and well-defined diagnostic criteria will facilitate the implementation of appropriate management and interventions. CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia is highly prevalent in hospitalized older adults, but the adjusted criteria and the inclusion of other parameters must be considered in the assessment.