A preliminary study to identify the likely risk for sarcopenia in older hospitalised patients with cardiovascular disease in Vietnam

Incident sarcopenia in hospitalized older people: A systematic review

Hospitalization has been associated with the development of sarcopenia. This study aimed to examine the new incidences of hospital sarcopenia, associated risk factors and health outcomes, as defined by internationally recognized diagnostic criteria in hospitalized older people. Pre-defined search terms were run through five databases. Six studies that assessed sarcopenia on two separate time points during hospitalization on older inpatients were included. Prevalence of sarcopenia varied from 14.1% to 55% depending on diagnostic criteria and cut-off points used. New sarcopenia occurred between 12% to 38.7% patients following hospitalization. Risk factors were older age, longer duration of bed rest, lower baseline body mass index, cognitive impairment and activities of daily living disability. None of the studies reported health outcomes associated with newly developed sarcopenia in hospital.

Sarcopenia with co-existent type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with worse clinical outcomes among hospitalised cardiac patients

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Sarcopenia has been shown associated with functional decline, disability, poorer quality of life and mortality. However, there are limited studies among hospitalised cardiac patients in Malaysia. This study aimed to identify the association of sarcopenia and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with clinical outcomes among hospitalised cardiac patients.

METHODS

This prospective observational study assessed 100 patients who were admitted to the general wards at the National Heart Institute. We measured handgrip strength, body composition using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and recorded the length of stay (LOS), unplanned readmission and incidence of infection within 90 days after discharge. Logistic regression analysis at a significant level p < 0.05 was used to identify the association between sarcopenia and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

The prevalence of sarcopenia was 63%, and this was similar in patients with or without T2DM. After adjustment, sarcopenia was significantly associated with 90-day unplanned readmission (adjusted OR 3.5; 95%CI 1.40-8.77; p = 0.007) and LOS (AOR 0.4; 95%CI 0.16-0.88; p = 0.026). After adjustment, the co-existent of T2DM and sarcopenia was significantly associated with 90-day unplanned readmission (AOR 7.3; 95%CI 1.82-29.66; p = 0.005) and 90-day incidence of infection (AOR 4.4; 95%CI 1.12-17.52; p = 0.033).

CONCLUSION

Sarcopenia with co-existent T2DM was associated with increased risk for readmission and infection among hospitalised cardiac patients. Early identification of sarcopenia is important for timely intervention to improve prognosis in hospitalised cardiac patients with T2DM.

Decreased continuous sitting time increases heart rate variability in patients with cardiovascular risk factors

Aim

The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the relationship between high-frequency heart rate variability (HF HRV) and continuous daytime sitting time in patients with cardiovascular risk factors such as mild hypertension and/or stable angina pectoris.

Background

Decreased HF HRV precedes the progression and worsening of cardiovascular diseases. Continuous sitting behavior is a major risk factor for developing metabolic syndrome and is associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, renal failure, sarcopenia and osteoporosis. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease can be affected by continuous daytime sitting behaviors.

Design

The present study design was a post-hoc comparison.

Methods

Patients treated at two different primary care clinics from 2014 to 2018 were enrolled in this study (n = 53). We assessed HF HRV and continuous sitting time using 24-hour Holter electrocardiography and an activity meter at baseline and 6 months. HF HRV was calculated during sleep.

Results

Sitting time had decreased in 22 patients (decreased group) and increased in 31 patients (increased group) after 6 months. The mean patient ages were 73.1 and 72.0 years in the decreased and increased sitting time groups, respectively (p = 0.503). HF HRV during sleep had increased after 6 months in the decreased sitting time group. Compared with the increased group, the decreased group showed significantly higher HF HRV during sleep after 6 months by two-way repeated-measures ANOVA after adjustment for age, sex and change in activity (p = 0.045).

Conclusion

These results suggest that a decrease in sitting time might induce parasympathetic activity during sleep. Therefore, reducing continuous sitting time during the day might contribute, in part, to improving the prognosis of patients with cardiovascular risk factors not only by avoiding muscle loss but also by providing positive influences on parasympathetic tone during sleep.

Physical Exercise and Myokines: Relationships with Sarcopenia and Cardiovascular Complications

Skeletal muscle is capable of secreting different factors in order to communicate with other tissues. These mediators, the myokines, show potentially far-reaching effects on non-muscle tissues and can provide a molecular interaction between muscle and body physiology. Sarcopenia is a chronic degenerative neuromuscular disease closely related to cardiomyopathy and chronic heart failure, which influences the production and release of myokines. Our objective was to explore the relationship between myokines, sarcopenia, and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine actions of myokines include regulation of energy expenditure, insulin sensitivity, lipolysis, free fatty acid oxidation, adipocyte browning, glycogenolysis, glycogenesis, and general metabolism. A sedentary lifestyle accelerates the aging process and is a risk factor for developing sarcopenia, metabolic syndrome, and CVD. Increased adipose tissue resulting from the decrease in muscle mass in patients with sarcopenia may also be involved in the pathology of CVD. Myokines are protagonists in the complex condition of sarcopenia, which is associated with adverse clinical outcomes in patients with CVD. The discovery of new pathways and the link between myokines and CVD remain a cornerstone toward multifaceted interventions and perhaps the minimization of the damage resulting from muscle loss induced by factors such as atherosclerosis.