Calf circumference predicts frailty in older adults: the Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey

Abstract

Background Although frailty is a common geriatric syndrome in old adults, a simple method to assess the degree of frailty in a person has not yet been established. In this study we have tried to establish the association between calf circumference (CC) and frailty among older Chinese people. Methods We used the data obtained from the 2014 edition of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey; 1216 participants aged ≥60 years were included for the study. Body mass index, CC and waist circumference measurement data, and laboratory test results were collected. Frailty status was measured using the frailty index (FI). Participants were then classified into non-frail (FI < 0.25) and frail (FI ≥ 0.25) groups. Results There were 874 participants (71.9%) in the non-frail group and 342 (28.1%) in the frail group. The CC was significantly different between the two groups (31.54 ± 4.16 versus 28.04 ± 4.53, P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that CC (odds ratio = 0.947, 95% confidence interval: 0.904–0.993, P = 0.023) was an independent impact factor associated with frailty. The CC value of 28.5 cm was considered the best cut-off value in women with area under the curve (AUC) was 0.732 (P < 0.001) and 29.5 cm in men with AUC was 0.592 (P = 0.004);We created a simple prediction model for frailty that included age,sex and CC:$$\textrm{Logit}(P)=-9.756+0.123\ast \textrm{Age}-0.512\ast \textrm{Sex}\left(\textrm{man}=1,\textrm{woman}=0\right)-0.053\ast \textrm{CC},$$ Logit ( P ) = - 9.756 + 0.123 * Age - 0.512 * Sex man = 1 , woman = 0 - 0.053 * CC , P = elogit(P) /1 + elogit(P), and AUC is 0.849 (P < 0.001). Conclusions CC is a convenient and predictable marker of frailty in older adults.

Calf circumference as a surrogate indicator for detecting low muscle mass in hospitalized geriatric patients

“…Although the radiological modalities for assessing muscle mass are convincing in terms of accuracy compared with CC determination, CC measurement in the elderly additionally impresses with its valuable predictability of fall events, frailty, malnutrition, morbidity and mortality [ 16 , 21 – 25 ] . The anthropometric method for recording CC provides a viable and cost-effective option for diagnosing “confirmed sarcopenia” in the elderly according to the diagnostic algorithm of the EWGSOP-2 guidelines.…”

Incidence of Muscular Strength, Anthropometry, and Asymmetry in the General Index of Autonomy in Older Chilean Women

“…In this context, the evidence has shown the importance of evaluating the circumferences of the upper and lower limbs, since they are an indicator of the progressive loss of muscle mass associated with aging (sarcopenia) (Cruz-Jentoft et al, 2019). In this sense, calf circumference is a reliable indicator of leg muscle mass, since a decrease in the circumference of this segment is associated with a greater risk of frailty and loss of FA, which could potentially contribute to the appearance of a physical disability (Xu et al, 2022). The findings of our study have shown that G1 presented a greater calf circumference than G2 (p < 0.05).…”

Current topics of frailty in association with hypertension and other medical conditions

“…CFS demonstrates silhouette of patients representing particular functional status which physicians are able to evaluate frailty at a glance [ 18 ]. Calf circumference was a predictable marker of frailty [ 19 ]. Dementia Assessment Sheet for Community-based Integrated Care System 21-items (DASC-21) and 8-itmes (DASC-8) are simple questionnaire containing 21 or 8 questions evaluating cognition, ADL and instrumental ADL (IADL) associated with frailty and several CGA components [ 20 , 21 ].…”