Depression is Associated With Sarcopenia Due to Low Muscle Strength: Results From the ELSA-Brasil Study.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the association of sarcopenia and its defining components with depression in Brazilian middle-aged and older adults.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

This analysis included 5927 participants from the ELSA-Brasil Study second data collection, aged 55 years and older, with complete data for exposure, outcome, and covariates.

MEASURES

Muscle mass was evaluated by bioelectrical impedance analysis and muscle strength by hand-grip strength. Sarcopenia was defined according to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) criteria. Depression was assessed using the Clinical Interview Scheduled Revised (CIS-R). Information on sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, and clinical comorbidities were also obtained.

RESULTS

The frequencies of sarcopenia, presarcopenia, low muscle mass, low muscle strength, and low muscle strength without loss of muscle mass was 1.9%, 18.8%, 20.7%, 4.8%, and 2.9%, respectively. After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, clinical conditions, and lifestyle factors, depression was associated with sarcopenia (odds ratio [OR] = 2.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11-4.48, P = .024) and low muscle strength (OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.20-3.15, P = .007), but it was not associated with presarcopenia, low muscle mass, and low muscle strength without loss of muscle mass.

CONCLUSIONS

Depression is associated with sarcopenia defined by the FNIH criteria mainly because of its association with weakness. Future studies are needed to clarify the temporal relationship between both conditions.