Large calf circumference indicates non-sarcopenia despite body mass.
Satomi Kusaka, Tetsuya Takahashi, Yoshinori Hiyama and 3 others
PMID 29200625WHAT IT FOUND
A dominant-leg calf circumference above 32.8 cm usually meant non-sarcopenia, but a smaller calf did not reliably mean sarcopenia, especially in thin or normal-weight women.
Key findings
01The cut-off value for sarcopenia calculated using calf circumference was 32.8 cm, with sensitivity 73.0% and specificity 80.0%.
02Across BMI groups, positive predictive value was 30%, 20.0%, and 0%, and negative predictive value was 100%, 98.0%, and 96.2%.
03Sarcopenia requires low muscle mass plus low grip strength or low walking speed, so calf circumference alone cannot confirm it.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only community-dwelling women who could attend the site and were not restricted in exercise were included, so very frail or home-bound older adults were not represented. All participants were women from a part of Tokyo, so results may not apply to men or other communities. Only a small number of participants had sarcopenia, so the cut-off and predictive values may be unstable. The study did not report follow-up outcomes, so it cannot show that calf circumference predicts future function or sarcopenia outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not diagnose sarcopenia from a small calf circumference alone. A dominant-leg calf circumference below 32.8 cm did not reliably mean sarcopenia, especially in thin and normal-weight women, and sarcopenia also requires low grip strength or low walking speed.