Department of Gastroenterology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul 05505, Korea.
Department of Gastroenterology, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Goyang 10380, Korea.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Oct 21;18(21):11083. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182111083.
(1) Background: As the clinical relevance of constipation and sarcopenia is not well studied, we aimed to investigate the association between them in older adults. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1278 community-dwelling older adults in South Korea. The Rome IV criteria were used to identify patients with clinically defined constipation, while sarcopenia was defined by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia consensus. The cohort was classified into three groups: no constipation, self-reported constipation only, and clinically defined constipation. (3) Results: The presence of constipation was associated with sarcopenia and slow gait speed ( < 0.001). After adjustment for possible covariates, the association with sarcopenia attenuated, while that for slow gait speed persisted. In terms of geriatric parameters, both groups with clinically defined and self-reported constipation had a higher burden of cognitive impairment, IADL disability, and lower QOL scores ( < 0.05) compared with those without constipation. (4) Conclusions: Sarcopenia and slow gait speed associated with constipation in community-dwelling older adults. Individuals with self-reported constipation symptoms alone showed comparable sarcopenic and geriatric burden to those with clinically defined constipation. Clinical suspicion for possible co-existing sarcopenia is warranted in older patients with constipation.
(1) 背景：由于便秘和肌肉减少症的临床相关性尚未得到充分研究，我们旨在调查老年人中两者之间的关联。(2) 方法：在韩国对 1278 名社区居住的老年人进行了横断面研究。使用罗马 IV 标准来识别有临床定义的便秘的患者，而肌肉减少症则由亚洲肌肉减少症工作组共识定义。该队列分为三组：无便秘、仅自述便秘和临床定义的便秘。(3) 结果：便秘的存在与肌肉减少症和缓慢的步态速度相关（<0.001）。在调整可能的混杂因素后，与肌肉减少症的关联减弱，而与缓慢的步态速度的关联仍然存在。在老年参数方面，与无便秘的人相比，有临床定义和自述便秘的两组都有更高的认知障碍、IADL 残疾和较低的 QOL 评分负担（<0.05）。(4) 结论：在社区居住的老年人中，肌肉减少症和缓慢的步态速度与便秘相关。仅自述有便秘症状的个体与有临床定义的便秘的个体具有可比的肌肉减少症和老年负担。对于有便秘的老年患者，应临床怀疑可能存在并存的肌肉减少症。
