Depressive symptoms and muscle weakness: A two-way relation?

Abstract

The potential association between depressive symptoms and dynapenia - i.e. muscle weakness - is limited to few, mainly cross-sectional, studies. We use SHARE (Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe) panel data to investigate whether the onset of dynapenia at 4-year follow-up can be explained by pre-existing (either at baseline, or at 2-year follow-up) depressive symptoms, or vice versa. Depressive symptoms were identified as a score of 4 or more on the 12-item EURO-D scale. Individuals were classified as affected by dynapenia if they had handgrip strength of <20 kg for women and 30 kg for men. We estimate whether being affected by symptoms of depression at baseline or becoming symptomatic between baseline and a 2-year follow-up increases the odds-ratio (OR) for dynapenia at a 4-year follow-up among individuals with no muscle strength impairment at baseline. We also carry out the reverse analysis, and study whether dynapenia at baseline or incident dynapenia between baseline and first follow-up increase the probability that individuals develop depressive symptoms by the second follow-up. The analysis was carried out using multivariate logistic regression. After adjusting for a full set of potential confounders, being symptomatic for depression at baseline did not increase the risk of dynapenia at the 4-year follow-up. Instead, individuals developing depressive symptoms between baseline and the 2-year follow-up had a 34% increased risk of developing dynapenia at the 4-year follow-up (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.02 1.66). No significant association was detected between dynapenia at baseline or the onset of dynapenia between baseline and the 2-year follow-up and the incidence of depressive symptoms at the 4-year follow-up. In conclusion, our results support the effect of the onset of depressive symptoms on the onset of dynapenia, even after considering the role of confounding factors.

Body composition associations with muscle strength in older adults living in Auckland, New Zealand

“…A nationally representative sample of Brazilians aged 65 years and older using the same cut-off values as our study observed a higher prevalence of low muscle strength (28.2%) [18]. Other studies which applied the older cut off values defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP), observed a higher prevalence of low muscle strength of 33.9% among Mexican people 50 years and older [39], 22.5% among Europeans aged 70 years and older [40], 44% in a population of Americans aged 65 years and older [41]…”

“…A nationally representative sample of Brazilians aged 65 years and older using the same cut-off values as our study observed a higher prevalence of low muscle strength (28.2%) [ 18 ]. Other studies which applied the older cut off values defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP), observed a higher prevalence of low muscle strength of 33.9% among Mexican people 50 years and older [ 39 ], 22.5% among Europeans aged 70 years and older [ 40 ], 44% in a population of Americans aged 65 years and older [ 41 ] and 71% in a community-dwelling older New Zealanders aged 75 years and older [ 42 ]. The higher prevalence observed in these groups, is possibly explained by the inclusion of people older than 74 years, and a potentially less healthy population than those participants included in our study.…”

A nationwide study on prevalence and factors associated with dynapenia in older adults: ELSI-Brazil

“…Furthermore, significant inequalities have been found regarding this condition 1 , meaning that individuals of lower socioeconomic levels are negatively impacted 11 . Accordingly, the maintenance of muscle strength while aging has high clinical significance 14 because dynapenia is associated with disability 10,15 and chronic diseases 16 , independent of muscle mass.…”

“…Regarding dynapenia distribution in the population, literature shows that its prevalence varies depending on setting, definition used and individuals' characteristics, such as health conditions, ranging from 17.8% in the European population aged 70 and older 16 , to 71.2% in a fracture clinic in Colombia 17 . Most studies on dynapenia have been conducted in developed countries, lacking studies regarding its prevalence and correlates in developing countries 10,11,16 .…”

Mentale und physische Gesundheit im Alter

“…Dass die physische Gesundheit für die mentale Gesundheit von Bedeutung ist, lässt sich einfach nachvollziehen, nicht nur anhand von schweren Erkrankungen, die die Lebensqualität einschränken oder mit denen eine geringe Überlebenswahrscheinlichkeit einhergeht. Dass psychische Probleme für physische Krankheiten eine Rolle spielen ist hingegen weniger intuitiv, aber durch eine Vielzahl an Studien bestätigt (Bertoni et al 2018;Penninx 1998;Hays et al 1997). Auch in den hier durchgeführten Analysen wird dies deutlich.…”