Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy.
J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2012 Feb;13(2):121-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2011.07.004.
Sarcopenia has been indicated as a reliable marker of frailty and poor prognosis among the oldest individuals. At present, no data are available on sarcopenia in the nursing home population. The aim of the current study was to explore the relationship between sarcopenia and all-cause mortality in a population of elderly persons aged 70 years and older living in a nursing home in Italy.
This study was conducted among all subjects (n = 122) aged 70 years and older who lived in the teaching nursing home of Catholic University of Rome between August 1, 2010, and September 30, 2010. According to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP), sarcopenia was diagnosed in presence of low muscle mass plus either low muscle strength or low physical performance. The primary outcome measure was survival after 6 months.
Forty residents (32.8%) were indentified as affected by sarcopenia. This condition was more common in men (68%) than in women (21%). During the follow-up period, 26 (21.3%) patients died. After adjusting for age, gender, cerebrovascular diseases, osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, activity of daily living impairment, and body mass index, residents with sarcopenia were more likely to die compared with those without sarcopenia (adjusted hazard ratio 2.34; 95% confidence interval 1.04-5.24).
The present study suggests that among subjects living in a nursing home, sarcopenia is highly prevalent and is associated with a significantly increased risk of all-cause death. The current findings support the possibility that sarcopenia has an independent effect on survival among nursing home residents.
肌少症已被证明是最年长人群衰弱和预后不良的可靠标志物。目前，关于疗养院人群肌少症的数据尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨意大利一家疗养院 70 岁及以上老年人肌少症与全因死亡率之间的关系。
本研究纳入了 2010 年 8 月 1 日至 9 月 30 日期间居住在罗马天主教大学教学疗养院的所有 70 岁及以上的受试者（n=122）。根据欧洲老年人肌少症工作组（EWGSOP）的标准，存在低肌肉量加上低肌肉力量或低身体表现时，诊断为肌少症。主要结局指标为 6 个月后的生存情况。
40 名居民（32.8%）被确定为患有肌少症。这种情况在男性（68%）中比女性（21%）更为常见。在随访期间，有 26 名（21.3%）患者死亡。在调整年龄、性别、脑血管疾病、骨关节炎、慢性阻塞性肺疾病、日常生活活动能力受损和体重指数后，肌少症患者的死亡风险高于无肌少症患者（调整后的危险比 2.34；95%置信区间 1.04-5.24）。
本研究表明，在居住在疗养院的人群中，肌少症患病率较高，与全因死亡风险显著增加相关。目前的研究结果支持肌少症对疗养院居民生存有独立影响的可能性。
