Muscle Strength Seems to be Related to The Functional Status and Severity of Dementia in Older Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to determine the possible interrelationships between sarcopenia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Background: Sarcopenia and AD are two common geriatric syndromes; however, sarcopenia has not been evaluated in detail so far. Objective: The objective is to evaluate the relationship between AD and sarcopenia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed retrospectively on 128 patients with probable AD, with a mean age of 76.56±7.54 years. Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment, including the activities of daily living (ADLs), malnutrition, frailty, mini-mental state examination (MMSE), and orthostatic hypotension was performed. Sarcopenia was defined according to the revised EWGSOP-2 criteria. Results: The frequency of probable sarcopenia and definitive sarcopenia was 54.7% and 35.9%, respectively. AD patients with probable sarcopenia had lower MMSE and ADLs scores and were frailer. Clinical dementia rating (CDR) score, MMSE, and basic and instrumental ADLs were independently related to probable sarcopenia in the patients (p=0.003, p<0.001, p=0.001, and p=0.001, respectively). The prevalence of probable sarcopenia in those with CDR 2 was higher than in those with CDR 0.5 and 1 (p=0.002). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that probable sarcopenia seems to be related to worse MMSE and ADLs scores and frailty in patients with AD and seems to be related to the severity of AD. Considering adverse health outcomes and the burden of sarcopenia on the patients and their caregivers, optimal care and treatment of sarcopenia in patients with AD are of great importance.

Causal associations between common musculoskeletal disorders and dementia: a Mendelian randomization study

“…Simultaneously, our study found that there were no genetic associations between other MSDs and dementia, which is inconsistent with some previous studies. For example, a previous study reported that muscle strength was associated with the severity of dementia, and some found that sarcopenia may be more common in patients with ADD and DLB ( Dost et al, 2022 , 2023 ). We speculate that individual background factors related to sarcopenia, rather than sarcopenia itself, also contribute to the development of dementia.…”

“… Jang et al (2019) found that patients with AS had a higher prevalence of all-cause dementia and ADD ( Jang et al, 2019 ). Simultaneously, some reported that sarcopenia was associated with the risk of DLB and ADD ( Dost et al, 2022 , 2023 ). However, most of these studies were retrospective, and the potential bias of residual confounding and reverse causality were unavoidable in these studies.…”

Exploring the relationship between patient-relevant outcomes and Alzheimer’s disease progression assessed using the clinical dementia rating scale: a systematic literature review

“…Nineteen studies reported data from Asia (China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand) ( 33 , 38 , 40 – 43 , 57 , 58 , 60 , 61 , 63 , 67 , 73 , 74 , 76 , 78 , 82 , 83 , 87 ), 17 reported data from Europe (Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Turkey, and the UK) ( 34 – 37 , 39 , 44 , 48 – 50 , 53 , 54 , 56 , 62 , 80 , 85 , 88 , 89 ), and 12 reported data from North America, all of which were from the USA ( 21 , 51 , 52 , 55 , 59 , 64 , 65 , 68 – 72 ). Five studies reported data from multiple countries ( 75 , 77 , 79 , 81 , 86 ), three reported data from South America (Brazil) ( 45 – 47 ), and two publications did not report the country ( 66 , 84 ).…”