Table I.
Clinical characteristics of the study patients (n=310).
| Patient profile | Total (n=310) | Sarcopenia (n=83) | Non-sarcopenia (n=227) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 75.7 (±6.1)b | 79.1 (±6.1)b | 74.4 (±5.7)b | <0.001 |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 149 (48.1)a | 51 (61.4)a | 98 (43.2)a | |
| Female | 161 (51.9)a | 32 (38.6)a | 129 (56.8)a | 0.004 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.0 (±3.6)b | 21.4 (±2.7)b | 23.6 (±3.7)b | <0.001 |
| Internal medicine therapeutic agents | ||||
| Laxative/prokinetics | ||||
| Non-user | 241 (77.7)a | 56 (67.5)a | 185 (81.5)a | |
| User | 69 (22.3)a | 27 (32.5)a | 42 (18.5)a | 0.009 |
| Nutritional status | ||||
| Albumin level (g/dl) | 4.2 (±0.4)b | 4.1 (±0.4)b | 4.2 (±0.3)b | 0.003 |
| Cholesterol level (mg/dl) | 204 (±36)b | 196 (±40)b | 206 (±34)b | 0.021 |
| Lymphocyte count (/µl) | 1,869 (±632)b | 1,768 (±690)b | 1,906 (±607)b | 0.088 |
| CONUT score | 0.9 (±1.2)b | 1.2 (±1.4)b | 0.7 (±1.1)b | 0.001 |
| Severity of constipation | ||||
| CSS score | 4.0 (±4.0)b | 4.9 (±4.9)b | 3.6 (±3.6)b | 0.009 |
| Abdominal symptom-related QOL | ||||
| Reflux-related QOL score | 1.5 (±2.0)b | 1.3 (±1.7)b | 1.5 (±2.1)b | 0.250 |
| Upper abdominal pain-related QOL score | 1.2 (±2.0)b | 0.9 (±2.0)b | 1.3 (±2.1)b | 0.150 |
| Fullness-related QOL score | 1.5 (±2.1)b | 1.3 (±2.0)b | 1.6 (±2.1)b | 0.178 |
| Constipation-related QOL score | 2.3 (±2.7)b | 2.4 (±2.7)b | 2.2 (±2.7)b | 0.520 |
| Diarrhea-related QOL score | 1.6 (±2.4)b | 1.7 (±2.6)b | 1.6 (±2.3)b | 0.814 |
| Stool shape | ||||
| BSFS score | 4.0 (±1.0)b | 4.0 (±1.2)b | 4.0 (±1.0)b | 0.791 |
aNumber (%).
bMean (± standard deviation). BMI, body mass index; CSS, Constipation Scoring System; BSFS, Bristol Stool Form Scale; CONUT, CONtrolling NUTritional status; QOL, quality of life.