Prevalence of and factors associated with sarcopenia among elderly individuals with hypertension

ABSTRACT

Purpose:
Sarcopenia is a major health problem in community-dwelling elderly individuals. Hypertension is postulated to aggravate sarcopenia. The present study was performed to estimate the prevalence of and factors associated with sarcopenia among elderly individuals with hypertension.
Methods:
This study involved 165 Chinese individuals with hypertension aged ≥60 years who were evaluated for sarcopenia using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia criteria. Data on their sociodemographic information, physical illnesses, and clinical and functional status were collected.
Results:
The overall prevalence of sarcopenia among elderly individuals with hypertension was 20.2%. The factors significantly associated with sarcopenia were an age of ≥70 years (adjusted odds ratio (OR), 3.01; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.17-5.39), diabetes (OR, 4.45; 95% CI, 1.32-11.16), osteoporosis (OR, 2.52; 95% CI, 1.13-5.37), drinking (OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 1.26-7.85), and a body mass index of 24.0 to 27.9 kg/m2 (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.59-0.91).
Conclusions:
This study revealed a very high prevalence of sarcopenia among elderly individuals with hypertension (20.2%). Sarcopenia may be associated with advanced age, drinking, diabetes, the body mass index, and osteoporosis. The longitudinal relationship between clinic visits and sarcopenia should be further evaluated.
Keywords:
China; Sarcopenia; advanced age; hypertension; prevalence; risk factors.