Sarc-Global: a new sarcopenia screening tool in older adults

Background: Sarcopenia is associated with clinical complications that increase mortality in older adults. Current screening tools, such as Sarc-F and Sarc-CalF, focus primarily on muscular performance but have limited sensitivity in identifying elderly individuals at risk of sarcopenia. The present study aims to develop a more comprehensive sarcopenia risk screening tool, Sarc-Global, which integrates additional anthropometric and clinical variables to enhance the sensitivity and accuracy of sarcopenia risk assessment in older adults. Methods: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to develop a sarcopenia risk screening tool, named SarcGlobal, with enhanced sensitivity, incorporating factors pertinent to the overall health of elderly individuals. Utilizing the criteria established by EWGSOP2 for diagnosing sarcopenia, we evaluated 395 community- dwelling elderly individuals. This evaluation served as a reference for assessing the efficacy of two validated questionnaires, Sarc-F and Sarc-CalF, and our newly developed Sarc-Global. Results: Multiple logistic regression revealed that Sarc-Global integrates variables such as sex, age, medication use, body mass index, arm circumference, and handgrip strength, which are significantly associated with sarcopenia (p<0.001). When combined with Sarc-CalF, these variables form the basis of the Sarc-Global model. In screening for sarcopenia risk, Sarc-Global demonstrated superior accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity (74%), outperforming Sarc-F (21%) and Sarc-CalF (34%). Conclusion: Sarc-Global proves to be an effective tool for identifying elderly individuals at risk of sarcopenia. (c) 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.