Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and sarcopenia in older people: results from the ilSIRENTE study.

BACKGROUND

Recently, a great deal of attention has been paid to the role of inflammatory processes in the pathophysiology of sarcopenia. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between NSAID use and sarcopenia in a large sample of community-dwelling elderly people aged 80 years or older.

METHODS

Data are from the baseline evaluation of 354 individuals enrolled in the ilSIRENTE Study. Following the recommendations of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP), the diagnosis of sarcopenia was established on the basis of low muscle mass plus either low muscle strength or low physical performance. The relationship between NSAID use and sarcopenia was estimated by deriving odds ratios (ORs) from multiple logistic regression models considering sarcopenia as the dependent variable.

RESULTS

Nearly 12% (n = 44) of the study sample used NSAIDs. Using the EWGSOP-suggested algorithm, 103 individuals (29.1%) with sarcopenia were identified. Ninety-nine (31.9%) participants were affected by sarcopenia among non-NSAID users compared with 4 participants (9.1%) among NSAID users (P < .001). Compared with all nonusers, NSAID users had a nearly 80% lower risk of being affected by sarcopenia (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.07-0.61). After adjusting for potential confounders, NSAID users had a lower risk of sarcopenia compared with nonusers (OR 0.26, 95% CI: 0.08-0.81).

CONCLUSIONS

The results are consistent with the hypothesis that long-term NSAID use might have a protective effect against the loss of muscle mass and function. Interventions able to reduce inflammation-related adverse outcomes at muscle level may be warranted.