Association between the risk of sarcopenia and clinical complications of covid-19 in hospitalized older adults: a multicenter cohort study

Abstract

Objective To investigate whether the risk of sarcopenia in older adults diagnosed with covid-19 is associated with the need for intensive care, mechanical ventilation, and mortality. Method A multicenter cohort study was conducted, including older adults (≥65 years) with laboratory-confirmed covid-19 diagnosis. Data related to sociodemographic, clinical, and nutritional characteristics were collected. The risk of sarcopenia was assessed using the Sarcopenia Risk Screening questionnaire. Outcome variables included the need for intensive care, mechanical ventilation, and mortality. Logistic regressions were performed to assess the association between clinical outcomes and the risk of sarcopenia, adjusting for the following variables: age, gender, family income, physical activity, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and body mass index. Results The study included 264 older adults with covid-19, with an average age of 71.7 (±8.2) years. One hundred and forty-eight older adults (56.1%) were at risk of sarcopenia. Hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease were the most common comorbidities identified in older adults, at 75.4%, 45.5%, and 28.4%, respectively. The presence of sarcopenia risk in hospitalized older adults with covid-19 increased the odds of ICU admission by more than 2-fold (OR: 2.71 [1.57; 4.68], p<0.001), nearly 5-fold for mechanical ventilation (OR: 5.19 [2.75; 9.78], p<0.001), and over 3-fold for mortality (OR: 4.05 [2.05; 7.98], p<0.001). Conclusion In hospitalized older adults with covid-19, pre-existing risk of sarcopenia was a predictor of unfavorable clinical outcomes.