Occurrence of sarcopenia in elderly patients with coronary heart disease and its association with short-term prognosis

OBJECTIVE: Sarcopenia is a common complication in elderly patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). This study aims to analyse and explore the occurrence of sarcopenia in elderly patients with CHD and its associations with short-term prognosis. METHODS: A total of 318 elderly patients with CHD were enrolled between March 2020 and March 2022. Sarcopenia was assessed at admission using grip strength and gait speed; subsequently, clinical data, cardiac function indicators, adverse events and mortality were compared between the two groups to explore the associations of sarcopenia with the short-term prognosis of elderly patients with CHD. RESULTS: Among the 318 elderly patients with CHD included in this study, 69 developed sarcopenia, with an incidence rate of 21.70%. The sarcopenia group showed lower cardiac output and left ventricular ejection fraction levels than the non-sarcopenia group, while higher left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, left ventricular end-systolic diameter, interventricular septum thickness and left ventricular posterior wall thickness levels were greater than in the non-sarcopenia group, with p < 0.05. The sarcopenia group had higher rates of unconventional medical visits and major adverse cardiac and cerebral events compared with the non-sarcopenia group, with p < 0.05. The mortality rate in the sarcopenia group was higher than in the non-sarcopenia group, with p < 0.05. CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia is significantly associated with the short-term prognosis of elderly coronary heart disease patients, indicating the need for preventive strategies to improve clinical outcomes and extend survival.