Abstract Parkinson's disease (PD) presents motor and non-motor symptoms that impair function and quality of life. Identifying clinical factors linked to physical performance is key for patient care and management. To examine associations between sarcopenia-related measures and physical performance in mild-to-moderate PD (Hoehn 41.7% females). Low physical performance was observed in 39% (n = 50) of patients and was strongly associated with positive screening of sarcopenia (SARC-F score ≥ 4; odds ratio OR: 1.67; 95%CI: 1.30–2.15; p < 0.001). Ishii score (p = 0.009), reduced mean handgrip strength (26 ± 10 kgf versus 30 ± 10 kgf; p = 0.02), and postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD) (p < 0.001) were also significantly associated with low SPPB performance in bivariate analyses. In the multivariable models, SARC-F and PIGD emerged as independent predictors of poor physical performance. The best subset model, combining SARC-F and PIGD, showed good discriminative accuracy (area under the curve AUC = 0.82). Higher PIGD scores and SARC-F ≥ 4 correlated with poor physical performance in PD. Low performance was linked to both SARC-F and Ishii scores, which help identify risk of functional decline. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify causality and treatment implications.
Almeida et al. (Sun,) studied this question.