Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population.
| All (n=92) | No sarcopenia (n=62) | Sarcopenia (n=30) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 82 (73-85) | 82 (71-84) | 83 (79-85) | 0.085 |
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 40 (43.5) | 27 (43.5) | 13 (43.3) | 0.984 |
| Male | 52 (56.5) | 35 (56.5) | 17 (56.7) | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26.19 (23.05-29.00) | 26.19 (23.10-28.72) | 26.50 (22.41-29.65) | 0.993 |
| MMSE score | 29 (28-30) | 28 (28-30) | 29 (27-29) | 0.784 |
| Number of past serious or chronic illnesses | 2 (1-3) | 2 (1-2) | 2 (1-4) | 0.069 |
| Number of drugs | 3 (1-5) | 3 (1-4) | 3 (1-4) | 0.076 |
| Alcohol consumption (units/week) | 3.0 (0-8.0) | 3.0 (0-7.5) | 3.5 (0.3-9.0) | 0.489 |
| Tobacco use | ||||
| Never | 56 (62.2) | 36 (60) | 20 (66.7) | 0.810b |
| Current | 5 (5.6) | 4 (6.7) | 1 (3.3) | |
| Past | 29 (32.2) | 20 (33.3) | 9 (30.0) | |
| ALM (kg) | 20.04 (15.64-22.64) | 20.33 (16.10-23.60) | 19.20 (14.73-21.43) | 0.076 |
| ALM/BMI | 0.751 (0.618-0.874) | 0.766 (0.628-0.905) | 0.737 (0.564-0.814) | 0.067a |
| SMI (kg/m2) | 7.00 (6.13-7.91) | 7.08 (6.13-7.93) | 6.89 (6.10-7.99) | 0.987 |
| Handgrip strength (kPa) | 60.50 (44.50-70.75) | 64.00 (50.00-74.00) | 45.00 (39.50-62.10) | <0.001 |
| Gait speed (m/s) | 0.996 (0.895-1.145) | 0.990 (0.898-1.149) | 0.999 (0.779-1.132) | 0.628a |
a
Independent Samples T-test, all others calculated with Mann-Whitney U-test.
b
Fisher exact test, all others Pearson Chi-square test.
c
Because of missing data, absolute frequency does not add up to the full sample strength. BMI= body mass index; MMSE= mini-mental state examination; ALM= appendicular lean mass; SMI= ALM/height[2].