Low muscle strength and mass with possible impaired physical performance characterizes the muscle disease known as sarcopenia. When not diagnosed or treated, the risk of falls, fractures, hospitalization, hospital costs, longer hospital stays, and negative outcomes increases. In the presence of comorbidities, such as cardiovascular diseases, sarcopenia can be significant and serious. In these patients, muscle weakness has attracted considerable attention in recent years since it is deemed an independent risk factor for disability and a strong predictor of premature death. The SARC-F (simple questionnaire to rapidly diagnose sarcopenia), a valid and consistent instrument to detect people at risk of adverse outcomes associated with sarcopenia, including functional decline, can be used as a screening tool. It consists of 5 items self-reported by patients based on their perceptions regarding strength limitations, the ability to walk, rise from a chair, climb stairs and a number of falls.

Analyze the risk of sarcopenia and identify associated factors in hospitalized older adults with cardiovascular disease.

This is a cross-sectional study conducted with 23 hospitalized older adults with cardiovascular disease in a tertiary hospital of the Federal District, Brazil, classified into two groups: with or without risk of sarcopenia according to the SARC-F. Demographic (age and sex), clinical (number of medications and body mass index –BMI) and physical data (muscle strength and mass) were collected. Muscle strength was assessed using handgrip dynamometry and the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale, and mass by means of electrical bioimpedance. These data were compared between the groups using the student´s t and Mann-Whitney U tests.

There was a risk of sarcopenia in 39.1% (n=9) of the sample. In comparison analyses, the group of older adults at risk of sarcopenia were older (mean difference: 14.39 years [95%CI 8.23 – 20.55]; p=0.001), exhibited lower handgrip strength (mean difference: 9.36 KgF [95%CI 0.874 – 17.854]; p=0.032), more frequent muscle weakness on the MRC scale (X²(1)=5.367, p=0.047) and lower appendicular muscle mass (mean difference: 0.763 [95%CI 0.113 – 1.414]; p=0.024). The groups showed no differences for sex, BMI and number of continuous use drugs (p>0.05).

This study found that older adults at risk of sarcopenia are older and obtain worse physical results when compared to their risk-free counterparts. The SARC-F was able to identify hospitalized patients with lower strength and muscle mass.

The findings show the need to identify hospitalized older adults at risk of sarcopenia using a simple, fast, low-cost, noninvasive assessment, which may contribute to the establishment of early identification strategies in a hospital setting, aimed at developing more assertive measures.