Comparación de la prevalencia de sarcopenia en personas de edad avanzada según el algoritmo propuesto por el EWGSOP en 2010 para la identificación de casos de sarcopenia utilizando tres métodos diferentes para la determinación del rendimiento físico

Abstract

Introduction In 2010, the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) published a definition for sarcopenia. They also developed an algorithm based on the measurement of physical performance to determine cases of sarcopenia. Several studies have already been published that determine the prevalence of sarcopenia with this algorithm, but as far as we know, there are no published studies comparing the prevalence using 3 different methods for determining physical performance. The objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia in a group of elderly people using the algorithm proposed by the EWGSOP in 2010, and to compare the results using 3 different methods for determining physical performance. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 97 elderly people. Measurements were obtained of muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance. To diagnose sarcopenia, the cut-off points and the diagnostic algorithm proposed by the EWGSOP were used. Cohen's Kappa coefficient was used for the analysis of the agreement between qualitative variables. Results The kappa coefficient, found by comparing the results for the 3 methods used to determine physical performance (Gait speed; Timed Up & Go test, Short Physical Performance Battery), suggests that there is no concordance between them. When comparing the prevalence of sarcopenia using 3 different methods for the determination of physical performance, the kappa coefficient found suggests that there is an almost perfect agreement (kappa≥0.96). An almost perfect agreement (kappa≥0.96) was found when comparing the results of the algorithm proposed by the EWGSOP in 2010 with a simplified algorithm where physical performance for the diagnosis of sarcopenia is not taken into account. Conclusions The equality in the results obtained for prevalence showed that the measurement of physical performance is not a necessary parameter for the diagnosis of sarcopenia. To obtain the same results in the diagnosis of sarcopenia, it is enough to use a simplified algorithm. The findings found are consistent with the proposal made by the EWGSOP in 2018.