Cutoff values for the determination of sarcopenia and the prevalence of the condition in middle-aged women: A study from Sri Lanka

Introduction

There is a scarcity of studies related to sarcopenia in Sri Lanka. This partly is due to lack of cutoff values to define muscle mass, strength and physical functions.

Objective

This cross-sectional study determined the cutoff values of sarcopenia measures and evaluated the prevalence of sarcopenia among middle-aged Sri Lankan women.

Method

A reference group of 117 young women (20-40 years) was used for cutoff value determination. The prevalence of sarcopenia was estimated among a group of 270 women (41-60 years). Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass (ASMM, kg) was measured by DXA and was adjusted for height (ASMM/height2) to determine Relative Skeletal Muscle mass Index (RSMI, kg/m2). Hand Grip Strength (HGS, kg) and Gait Speed (GS, m/s) were also measured. Cutoff values for measures of sarcopenia were taken as 2SD below the mean value of the young reference group.

Result

Mean(SD) ages of the participants; young reference group and middle-aged group were 35.5(3.8) and 52.2(5.8) years respectively. Cutoff values for the main three measures of sarcopenia; RSMI, HGS and GS were 5.03kg/m2, 9.66kg and 0.96m/s respectively. Prevalence of pre-sarcopenia, sarcopenia and severe-sarcopenia among middle-aged women were 3.0%, 2.2%, 0.7% respectively. The corresponding values among postmenopausal women were 4.2%, 3.0%, 1.2% and among premenopausal women were 1.0%, 1.0%, 0.0%. Prevalence of sarcopenia was higher among women aged between 51-60 years and severe sarcopenia was observed only in this age group.

Conclusions

This study provides cutoff values for the measures of sarcopenia for Sri Lankan women. Prevalence was higher among postmenopausal women compared to premenopausal women.