Prevalence of Sarcopenia and Its Association with Malnutrition in Hospitalized Elderly Patients

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 3, 306 - 313, 13.10.2025

Mevlüt Kaçar , Mehmet Uzunlulu , Erhan Eken , Semih Başcı

https://doi.org/10.52827/hititmedj.1604216

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia and evaluate the nutritional status in geriatric patients
hospitalized at the Internal Medicine Clinic.
Material and Method: A total of 105 patients (54 female and 51 male) aged ≥ 65 years (mean age: 74 ± 6 years)
hospitalized between November 2015 and January 2016 were consecutively enrolled in this prospective and
observational clinical study. Muscle mass was evaluated by bioelectrical impedance device, muscle function by
walking test, and strength by hand grip test. Patients were diagnosed with sarcopenia, pre-sarcopenia, and nonsarcopenic. Mini nutritional assessment (MNA) test was used to define malnutrition.
Results: The number of patients diagnosed with sarcopenia and pre-sarcopenia was 49 (46.7%) and 5 (4.8%),
respectively. The prevalence of sarcopenia was higher in female patients than male patients (61.1% vs. 31.4%;
p=0.006). The prevalence of malnutrition in patients with sarcopenia and without sarcopenia were 51%, 10%, and
the rate of patients at risk of malnutrition with sarcopenia and without sarcopenia was 37%, 49%, respectively. The
prevalence of malnutrition was significantly higher in patients with sarcopenia (p<0.001). 40.8% of sarcopenic
patients were overweight or obese. In the logistic regression analysis, female gender (OR=3.3, CI=1.35-8.04) and
malnutrition (OR=9.41, CI=3.06-28.95) were significant risk factors for the development of sarcopenia.
Conclusion: Approximately half of the hospitalized geriatric patients were sarcopenic or pre-sarcopenic, and
88% of patients with sarcopenia had malnutrition or at risk of malnutrition. Sarcopenia and malnutrition should
be evaluated together in geriatric inpatients and sarcopenic obesity should not be ignored.

Keywords

Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis , Malnutrition , Obesity , Sarcopenia.

Ethical Statement

Approval for the study was obtained from the İstanbul Medeniyet University Göztepe Research and Training Hospital Clinical Research Ethics Committee on 12/10/2015. Decision no: 2015/0136.

Hastanede Yatan Yaşlı Hastalarda Sarkopenı̇ Prevalansı Ve Malnütrı̇syon ı̇le İlı̇şkı̇sı̇

Abstract

Amaç: İç Hastalıkları Kliniğinde yatan geriatrik hastalarda sarkopeni prevalansını araştırmak ve beslenme
durumunu değerlendirmek.
Gereç ve Yöntem: Hastanede yatan 65 yaş üstü toplam 105 hasta (54 kadın ve 51 erkek) (ortalama yaş: 74 ± 6 yıl)
ardışık olarak çalışmaya dahil edildi. Kas kütlesi biyoelektrik empedans cihazı ile, kas fonksiyonu yürüme testi ile
ve kas gücü el kavrama testi ile değerlendirildi. Hastalar sarkopeni, pre-sarkopeni ve sarkopenik olmayan olarak
teşhis edildi. Malnütrisyonu tanımlamak için mini nütrisyonel değerlendirme (MNA) testi kullanılmıştır.
Bulgular: Sarkopeni ve pre-sarkopeni tanısı konan hasta sayısı sırasıyla 49 (%46,7) ve 5 (%4,8) idi. Sarkopeni
prevalansı kadın hastalarda erkek hastalara göre daha yüksekti (%61,1’ e karşı %31,4; p=0,006). Sarkopenisi olan
hastalarda malnütrisyon prevalansı %51 ve malnütrisyon riski taşıyan hastaların oranı %37; sarkopenisi olmayan
hastalarda malnütrisyon prevalansı %10 ve malnütrisyon riski taşıyan hastaların oranı %49 idi. Malnütrisyon
prevalansı, sarkopenik olmayan katılımcılara kıyasla sarkopenili hastalarda anlamlı derecede yüksekti (p<0,001).
Sarkopenik hastaların %40,8’ i obez veya kiloluydu. Lojistik regresyon analizinde kadın cinsiyet (OR=3.3, CI=1.35-
8.04) ve malnütrisyon (OR=9.41, CI=3.06-28.95) sarkopeni gelişimi için önemli risk faktörleriydi.
Sonuç: Hastanede yatan geriatrik hastaların yaklaşık yarısı sarkopenik veya pre-sarkopenikti ve sarkopenisi olan
hastaların %88’ inde malnütrisyon vardı veya malnütrisyon riski altındaydı. Yatan geriatrik hastalarda sarkopeni ve
malnütrisyon birlikte değerlendirilmeli ve sarkopenik obezite göz ardı edilmemelidir.

Keywords

Biyoelektrik Empedans Analizi , Malnütrisyon , Obezite , Sarkopeni.

Ethical Statement

: Çalışma için 12/10/2015 tarihinde İstanbul Medeniyet Üniversitesi Göztepe Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Klinik Araştırmaları Etik Kurulu’ndan onay alınmıştır. Karar no: 2015/0136.

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