Cumulative and Incremental Value of Sarcopenia Components on Predicting Adverse Outcomes.
Freddy M H Lam, Yi Su, Zhi-Hui Lu and 3 others
PMID 32768375WHAT IT FOUND
Adding grip strength and walking speed to a sarcopenia screening questionnaire improved prediction of adverse outcomes in community-dwelling older adults.
Better strength and function was associated with lower risk. Muscle mass measured by DXA added little and sometimes was associated with higher risk.
Key findings
01Better muscle strength and function were consistently associated with a lower chance of adverse outcomes.
02Adding grip strength and gait speed to SARC-F improved prediction for all outcomes except recurrent falls in both men and women.
03Muscle mass measured by DXA provided no constructive increase in prediction over SARC-F plus muscle strength and function.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only people who could walk independently and attend the assessment centre were included, so it may not apply to frailer older adults. Participants represented a healthier community sample, especially for fourth-year outcomes. Findings need confirmation in other ethnicities and lifestyles. Some outcomes had few reported occurrences, such as recurrent falls, nursing home placement, and hip fracture, which reduced power. Some AWGS guideline assessments were missing, such as calf circumference and short physical performance battery.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that grip strength or walking speed training prevents adverse outcomes. This was a prediction study, not a treatment trial. Do not assume DXA muscle mass improves risk prediction; it added little, and higher height-adjusted muscle mass was associated with worse outcomes in women.