Nutrition and Dietetics Department, Monash University, Victoria, Australia;
Clin Interv Aging. 2011;6:67-76. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S16979. Epub 2011 Mar 23.
To determine the prevalence of sarcopenia and investigate relationships among body composition, muscle strength, and physical function in elderly women in low-level aged care.
Sixty-three ambulatory women (mean age 86 years) participated in this cross-sectional study where body composition was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); ankle, knee, and hip strength by the Nicholas Manual Muscle Tester; and physical function by 'timed up and go' (TUG) and walking speed (WS) over 6 meters. Body composition data from a female reference group (n = 62, mean age 29 years) provided cut-off values for defining sarcopenia.
Elderly women had higher body mass index (P < 0.001), lower lean mass (P < 0.001), and higher fat mass (P < 0.01) than the young reference group. Only a small proportion (3.2%) had absolute sarcopenia (defined by appendicular skeletal muscle mass/height squared) whereas 37% had relative sarcopenia class II (defined by percentage skeletal muscle mass). Scores for TUG and WS indicated relatively poor physical function, yet these measures were not associated with muscle mass or indices of sarcopenia. In multivariate analysis, only hip abductor strength predicted both TUG and WS (both P = 0.01).
Hip strength is a more important indicator of physical functioning than lean mass. Measurement of hip strength may therefore be a useful screening tool to detect those at risk of functional decline and requirement for additional care. Further longitudinal studies with a range of other strength measures are warranted.
确定低级别老年护理中老年女性的肌少症患病率，并研究身体成分、肌肉力量和身体功能之间的关系。
本横断面研究纳入 63 名活动能力正常的女性（平均年龄 86 岁），通过双能 X 射线吸收法（DXA）测定身体成分；使用 Nicholas 手动肌肉测试仪测定踝、膝和髋关节力量；使用“计时起立行走”（TUG）和 6 米步行速度（WS）测定身体功能。从女性参考组（n = 62，平均年龄 29 岁）获得的身体成分数据提供了定义肌少症的截断值。
与年轻参考组相比，老年女性的体质指数（P < 0.001）更高，瘦体重（P < 0.001）更低，体脂量（P < 0.01）更高。仅有一小部分（3.2%）存在绝对肌少症（定义为四肢骨骼肌质量/身高平方），而 37%存在相对肌少症 II 级（定义为骨骼肌质量百分比）。TUG 和 WS 评分表明身体功能相对较差，但这些指标与肌肉质量或肌少症指数无关。在多变量分析中，只有髋关节外展肌力量预测了 TUG 和 WS（均 P = 0.01）。
髋关节力量是身体功能的重要指标，比瘦体重更重要。因此，测量髋关节力量可能是一种有用的筛查工具，可用于检测那些有功能下降风险和需要额外护理的人。需要进一步进行具有多种其他力量测量的纵向研究。
