Prevalence of sarcopenia in community-dwelling Japanese older adults

Background: Sarcopenia, the age-dependent loss of skeletal muscle mass, is highly prevalent among older adults in many countries; however, the prevalence of sarcopenia in healthy Japanese community-dwelling older adults is not well characterized.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of sarcopenia and to examine the association of sarcopenia with falls and fear of falling in community-dwelling Japanese older adults.

Design: This is a cross-sectional study.

Setting and subjects: Healthy men (568) and women (1314) aged 65 to 89 years participated in this research.

Measurements: For all participants, 3 measurements were taken: skeletal muscle mass measurement using bioelectrical impedance, 10 m at a usual walking speed, and handgrip strength. Sarcopenia was defined as the presence of both poor muscle function (low physical performance or low muscle strength) and low muscle mass.

Results: The prevalence of sarcopenia, determined using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People-suggested algorithm, in men and women aged 65 to 89 years was 21.8% and 22.1%, respectively. The prevalence of sarcopenia increased age-dependently, especially in those older than 75 years in both genders. In the young old, the prevalence of sarcopenia was higher in women than in men; however, in those older than 85 years, the prevalence of sarcopenia was lower in women than in men (P < .05). In addition, fall incidents and fear of falling were more prevalent in sarcopenic older adults than in nonsarcopenic older adults (P < .05).

Conclusions: These results suggest that sarcopenia is highly prevalent in community-dwelling Japanese older adults and is related to falls and fear of falling.