Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
Original StudySarcopenia and Mortality among Older Nursing Home Residents
Section snippets
Methods
This study was conducted in the teaching nursing home of Catholic University which is located in Central Italy (Fontecchio-Celano, Abruzzo Region). Informed consent was elaborated and administered using methods approved by the Catholic University of Sacred Heart of Rome. The Opera Santa Maria della Pace Ethical Committee ratified the entire study protocol. The study protocol is described in detail elsewhere.9
Results
Mean age of study participants was 84.1 (SD 4.8) years, and 91 residents (75.0%) were women. Using the EWGSOP-suggested algorithm,14 40 residents (32.8%) were identified as affected by sarcopenia (Figure 1). This condition was more common in men than in women (67.7% versus 20.8%, P < .001, respectively).
The sociodemographic, functional, cognitive, and clinical characteristics of study participants according to the presence of sarcopenia are summarized in Table 1. Compared with residents without
Discussion
Our findings show that sarcopenia (assessed using the EWGSOP algorithm14) is highly prevalent in institutionalized elderly persons (68% among male residents and 21% among female residents). Furthermore, in the present study, participants with sarcopenia showed the highest risk of death, regardless of age, gender, and other confounding factors.
In a recent review article, Bauer et al19 addressed the importance of sarcopenia and the practical approaches toward a diagnosis and treatment options in
Acknowledgments
We thank Antonello De Santis, Cristian Mancini, and all nursing home staff of RSA Opera Santa Maria della Pace (Fontecchio-Celano), Department of Geriatrics, Catholic University of Rome, for their contribution to the study protocol.
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The authors declare no conflicts of interest.