title: Identifying sarcopenia in acute care setting patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prevalence of sarcopenia by applying European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) flow chart in an acute care geriatric unit as well as to test a modified version of the EWGSOP diagnostic algorithm combining handgrip and gait speed test to identify subjects with low muscle mass.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Geriatric unit in an academic medical department.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred nineteen acutely ill persons (34.4% female), with mean age 80.4 ± 6.9 years and body mass index 26.3 ± 4.9 kg/m(2).
  
  
  METHODS
  Assessment of muscle mass by bioimpedence analysis, muscle strength by handheld dynamometer, and gait speed with the 4-meter walking test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using the EWGSOP classification for sarcopenia, 5.0% presented with sarcopenia and 21.0% with severe sarcopenia. Combining gait speed test and handgrip strength measurement, the highest predictive power in detecting subjects with low muscle mass was observed (sensitivity and specificity, 80.6% and 62.5%, respectively). Subjects presenting with both normal gait speed and handgrip showed normal values of muscle mass as assessed with bioimpedence analysis. By using the ROC method, when the 2 tests were combined, the AUC was statistically higher than when using each test separately (0.740; P = .018).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study shows that 1 of 4 patients admitted to the acute care department were recognized to be sarcopenic. When a modifived version of the EWGSOP flow chart, obtained combining both gait speed and handgrip was used, sensitivity and specificity of algorithm to identify subjects with low muscle mass was improved.
authors: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. Electronic address: mauro.zamboni@univr.it.
authors: Andrea P
authors: AP
authors: Rossi
authors: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Fantin
authors: Department of Statistics, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
authors: Rocco
authors: R
authors: Micciolo
authors: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Bertocchi
authors: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Bertassello
authors: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors: Valeria
authors: V
authors: Zanandrea
authors: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors: Alessandra
authors: A
authors: Zivelonghi
authors: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors: Luisa
authors: L
authors: Bissoli
authors: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. Electronic address: mauro.zamboni@univr.it.
authors: Mauro
authors: M
authors: Zamboni
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001823:Body Composition; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016138:Walking
keywords: Sarcopenia; muscle strength; walking speed