Association Between Quality of Life and Sarcopenia Components in Older Adults

Abstract

Introduction: Sarcopenia is a serious cause of mortality and morbidity. Expressing that the quality of life of older adults may be a sign of sarcopenia. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between the Euro-Quality of Life Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS) and sarcopenia components in older adults. Methods: Patients aged over 60 years who visited geriatric outpatients between October 2016 and August 2021 were included in the study. The overall quality of life was evaluated using the EQ-VAS. Handgrip strength (HGS), Chair Stand Test (CST), skeletal muscle mass (SMM), usual gait speed (UGS), and timed up-go test were measured to assess sarcopenia components. Results: A total of 545 patients were included in the study. The median EQ-VAS score was 70 (10-100). Age, UGS, and HGS were found to be statistically significant determinants of the EQ-VAS (p=0.014, p=0.005, p<0.001) after adjusting for gender, diabetes, body mass index, SMM, and CST. Conclusion: Our study suggests that age, UGS, and HGS are associated with self-reported quality of life in older adults. The results highlight the importance of assessing the quality of life of older adults in clinical practice to improve sarcopenia.

Keywords

• quality of life
• older adults
• sarcopenia