Sarcopenia, long‐term conditions, and multimorbidity: findings from UK Biobank participants

Abstract

Background Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle strength and mass, predicts adverse outcomes and becomes common with age. There is recognition that sarcopenia may occur at younger ages in those with long‐term conditions (LTCs) as well as those with multimorbidity (the presence of two or more LTCs), but their relationships have been little explored. Our aims were to describe the prevalence of sarcopenia in UK Biobank, a large sample of men and women aged 40–70 years, and to explore relationships with different categories of LTCs and multimorbidity. Methods We used data from 499 046 participants in the baseline of UK Biobank. Our main outcome was probable sarcopenia based on maximum grip strength below sex‐specific cut‐points. Participants' LTCs were recorded during an interview and categorized against a hierarchy. We used logistic regression to examine the independent associations between each category of LTCs and probable sarcopenia, including adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index. We also examined the association with multimorbidity. Results Probable sarcopenia had an overall prevalence of 5.3% and increased with age. The categories with the strongest associations with probable sarcopenia were musculoskeletal/trauma [OR 2.17 (95% CI: 2.11, 2.23)], endocrine/diabetes [OR 1.49 (95% CI: 1.45, 1.55)], and neurological/psychiatric [OR 1.39 (95% CI: 1.34, 1.43)] LTCs. Almost half of the sample (44.5%) had multimorbidity, and they were at nearly twice the odds of probable sarcopenia [OR 1.96 (95% CI: 1.91, 2.02)] compared with those without. Conclusions We have shown an overall prevalence of 5.3% of probable sarcopenia at ages 40–70 in UK Biobank. The risk of probable sarcopenia was higher in those with some categories of LTCs, suggesting that these groups may stand to benefit from assessment of sarcopenia, during mid‐life as well as old age.

Differences in sarcopenia prevalence between upper-body and lower-body based EWGSOP2 muscle strength criteria: the Tromsø study 2015–2016

“…Recently the UK Biobank reported a 5.3% prevalence of probable sarcopenia for 40–70 year olds [ 21 ], which differs from the 1.3% prevalence reported in the current study even though our participants were older. This could partly be influenced by instrumental differences, as we used the electronic version of the Jamar dynamometer compared to the hydraulic version commonly used by others.…”

The identification of probable sarcopenia in early old age based on the SARC-F tool and clinical suspicion: findings from the 1946 British birth cohort

“…We recently found a prevalence of PS defined using weak grip strength in UK Biobank participants aged 60-70 of 8% [25], which is similar to the prevalence of weak grip strength in the present study (7%). In the present study, we saw limited agreement between weak grip strength and slow chair rise time, with only 15% of those with PS having poor performance on both tests.…”

“…We used data from a sample in early old age, and this may limit the generalisability of our findings. However, there is growing interest in the identification of sarcopenia in midlife and early old age, especially in the setting of patients with long-term conditions [25]. We also used a different question to assess self-reported strength than the one in the SARC-F tool (see "Methods" section), although given that most participants had an overall score of zero or one, this change would have been unlikely to cause a substantial reduction in the prevalence of participants who were SARC-F positive (a score of greater than or equal to four points).…”

High Salt Diet Impacts the Risk of Sarcopenia Associated with Reduction of Skeletal Muscle Performance in the Japanese Population

“…In addition, past papers have reported that skeletal muscle mass and skeletal muscle strength are maximized in the 20s and 30s [ 63 ], and there is a standard that the target age for sarcopenia is 60 or 65 years [ 3 ]. On the other hand, there are reports targeting people over 40 years old [ 64 ]. Controlling the diet from a young age can prevent various diseases, including the prevention of sarcopenia.…”