Presarcopenia and sarcopenia in hip-fracture women: prevalence and association with ability to function in activities of daily living

Background and aims Sarcopenia staging systems have been proposed, but little is known on their application in hip-fracture patients. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of presarcopenia and sarcopenia and their association with ability to function in activities of daily living in hip-fracture women. Methods We investigated white women (N = 138 of 149) who were consecutively admitted to a rehabilitation hospital because of their first hip fracture. In each woman, we measured appendicular lean mass (aLM) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, at a median of 18 days after hip fracture occurrence. On the same day, we assessed grip strength with a handheld dynamometer. Functional autonomy was assessed by the Barthel Index. We used the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) definition to calculate the prevalence of presarcopenia and sarcopenia, taking into account both aLM/height(2) and handgrip strength. Gait speed was not considered, because of the recent hip fracture. Results Twenty-three (17 %) of the 138 women fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for presarcopenia whereas 80 (58 %) were sarcopenic. The women with presarcopenia were younger, healthier and with higher Barthel Index scores (median 65 vs. 55; interquartile range 60-75 and 50-60, respectively; p < 0.001) than those with sarcopenia. Significant differences in Barthel Index scores at the time of assessment (but not at the end of the rehabilitation course) persisted after multiple adjustments (p < 0.001). Conclusions The prevalence of presarcopenia and sarcopenia was high in hip-fracture women. Presarcopenic women had higher ability to function in activities of daily living than sarcopenic women.