Validation of the SarQoL®, a specific health‐related quality of life questionnaire for Sarcopenia

Abstract

BackgroundA specific self‐administrated health‐related quality of life questionnaire for sarcopenia, the Sarcopenia and Quality Of Life (SarQoL®), has been recently developed. This questionnaire is composed of 55 items translated into 22 questions and organized into seven domains of quality of life. The objective of the present work is to evaluate the psychometric properties (discriminative power, validity, reliability, floor and ceiling effects) of the SarQoL® questionnaire.MethodsSarcopenic subjects were recruited in an outpatient clinic in Liège, Belgium and were diagnosed according to the algorithm developed by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. We compared the score of the SarQoL® between sarcopenic and non‐sarcopenic subjects using a logistic regression after adjustment for potential confounding variables. Internal consistency reliability was determined using Cronbach's alpha coefficient; construct validity was assessed using convergent and divergent validities. Test–retest reliability was verified after a two‐week interval using the intra‐class correlation coefficient (ICC). At last, floor and ceiling effects were also tested.ResultsA total of 296 subjects with a median age of 73.3 (68.9–78.6) years were recruited for this study. Among them, 43 were diagnosed sarcopenic. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the total score and the scores of the different dimensions of the SarQoL® questionnaire were significantly lower for sarcopenic than for non‐sarcopenic subjects (54.7 (45.9–66.3) for sarcopenic vs. 67.8 (57.3 – 79.0) for non sarcopenic, OR 0.93 (95%CI 0.90–0.96)). Regarding internal consistency, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.87. The SarQoL® questionnaire data showed good correlation with some domains of the Short‐Form 36 (SF‐36) and the EuroQoL 5‐dimension (EQ‐5D) questionnaires and with the mobility test. An excellent agreement between the test and the retest was found with an ICC of 0.91 (95% CI 0.82–0.95). At last, neither floor nor ceiling effects were detected.ConclusionsThe SarQoL® questionnaire is valid, consistent, and reliable and can therefore be recommended for clinical and research purposes. However, its sensitivity to change needs to be assessed in future longitudinal studies.

Muscle wasting and sarcopenia in heart failure and beyond: update 2017

“…Unfortunately, despite large research efforts both by academic and industry, decisive and validated biomarkers are still lacking making the detection of sarcopenia difficult . As a result, the definition of sarcopenia has been adapted to include measurements of impaired physical function, such as slow walking speed and/or low grip strength, and a sarcopenia‐specific questionnaire on Quality of Life has recently been described . Unfortunately, there are several definitions of sarcopenia using different cut‐off values, which were all confirmed to be independent factors of adverse outcomes …”

“…[34][35][36][37] As a result, the definition of sarcopenia has been adapted to include measurements of impaired physical function, such as slow walking speed and/or low grip strength, 29,38 and a sarcopenia-specific questionnaire on Quality of Life has recently been described. 39 Unfortunately, there are several definitions of sarcopenia using different cut-off values, 40,41 which were all confirmed to be independent factors of adverse outcomes. 42 In CHF, the prevalence of patients with sarcopenia is higher at 20% compared to healthy subjects of the same age.…”

Skeletal muscle wasting in chronic heart failure

“…35,40 This fact is exacerbated by the fact that no clinically validated biomarkers have been identified despite enormous research efforts both by academia and industry. 44 Despite this, there are still several definitions of sarcopenia with diverse cut-off values 45,46 that were all confirmed to be independent predictors of adverse outcomes. 34 In addition, a sarcopenia-specific Quality of Life questionnaire has recently been introduced.…”

Muscle wasting and sarcopenia in heart failure: a brief overview of the current literature

“…Patients with muscle wasting had lower left ventricular ejection fraction, lower 6 min walk distance, and a higher New York Heart Association functional class and hospitalization rate. 43 None of these screening tools have, however, been evaluated in the setting of HF. On the other hand, mechanical ventilation itself may induce progressive dysfunction of the main respiratory muscle, that is, the diaphragm.…”