Sarcopenia for predicting falls and hospitalization in community-dwelling older adults: EWGSOP versus EWGSOP2

Sci Rep. 2019 Nov 27;9(1):17636. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-53522-6.

Abstract

The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) recently published an updated version (EWGSOP2). We aimed to compare the predictive values of EWGSOP-defined and EWGSOP2-defined sarcopenia for the incidence of falls and hospitalization in older adults. We defined sarcopenia according to the EWGSOP and the EWGSOP2. We further modified the cut-off points of the EWGSOP and EWGSOP2 according to the lowest quintile values of the gender-specific distribution of our study population, named "modified EWGSOP" and "modified EWGSOP2", respectively. We included 384 participants. During the follow-up, 98 participants (26.5%) and 51 participants (13.8%) had at least one fall or hospitalization, respectively. EWGSOP2-defined sarcopenia (hazard ratio [HR] 1.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.22-1.84) and modified EWGSOP2-defined sarcopenia (HR 2.09, 95% CI 1.23-3.55) were significantly associated with an increased incidence of falls, respectively. EWGSOP-defined sarcopenia and modified EWGSOP-defined sarcopenia also have a trend to be associated with the incidence of falls, but the results were not statistically significant. Only modified EWGSOP2-defined sarcopenia (HR 2.07, 95% CI 1.01-4.27) was significantly related to an increased incidence of hospitalization. In conclusion, EWGSOP2-defined sarcopenia performed more sensitive than EWGSOP-defined sarcopenia for predicting the incidence of falls or hospitalization, especially when using the modified cutoffs.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Observational Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Accidental Falls / statistics & numerical data*
  • Aged
  • Body Composition
  • Female
  • Gait
  • Geriatric Assessment / methods*
  • Geriatric Assessment / statistics & numerical data
  • Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Independent Living
  • Male
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic / standards
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Prospective Studies
  • Sarcopenia / complications*
  • Sarcopenia / diagnosis