Prevalence of Sarcopenia in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study From a Tertiary Care Center in Central India

Introduction: Sarcopenia has been identified as a novel complication seen in older adults. Sarcopenia is linked to a higher incidence of falls and fractures, as well as mobility issues, disabilities, metabolic problems, and low quality of life. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of sarcopenia in older adults older than 60 years. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, in which adults aged older than 60 years were included. A total of 237 participants were enrolled. Sarcopenia was diagnosed in presence of low hand grip strength with SARC-F questionnaire score of ≥4. Results: The mean age of study population was 66.8 ± 6.23 years. Most subjects were overweight (40.9%) with mean body mass index (BMI) of 25 ± 4.57 kg/m 2 . Prevalence of sarcopenia among older adults is 23.6%. The mean hand grip strength progressively declined with age. There was statistically significant increase in the prevalence of sarcopenia with increasing age ( P < 0.001). 22.5% of male participants and 24.8% of female participants had sarcopenia. There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of sarcopenia among men and women ( P = 0.679). The prevalence of sarcopenia positively correlated with BMI ( P = 0.015). Conclusion: The prevalence of sarcopenia among older adult study population is 23.6%. Increasing age and higher BMI are independent risk factors for development of sarcopenia.