Sarcopenia Screened With SARC-F Questionnaire Is Associated With Quality of Life and 4-Year Mortality.
There is no gold standard in diagnosing sarcopenia. We aimed to assess the validity of screening sarcopenia using SARC-F (sluggishness, assistance in walking, rise from a chair, climb stairs, falls).



Prospective cohort study.



Community hospital in Taiwan.



Community-dwelling senior citizens.



Participants were interviewed with a structured questionnaire annually. The questionnaire items were recoded into the 5 items of SARC-F (sluggishness, assistance in walking, rise from a chair, climb stairs, falls). In the baseline year, a subgroup was tested for grip strength and body composition. Healthcare utilization and mortality were based on self-report and hospital records. Our main outcome was 4-year mortality. Secondary outcomes included hospitalization, emergency care use, and quality of life (QOL) measured using the CASP-12 scale (control, autonomy, self-realization, pleasure (control, autonomy, self-realization, pressure).



There were 670 participants. The mean age was 76.1 (standard deviation 6.36). One-half were men (n = 340, 50.7%). The prevalence of sarcopenia was 6.1% (n = 41). SARC-F scores were inversely associated with grip strength (P = .001) and skeletal muscle composition (P = .045). Participants with sarcopenia were mostly women (P = .005) and older (P < .001). In univariate analysis, sarcopenia was associated with 1- to 4-year mortalities (P = .033, .001, .001, <.001, respectively), overall hospitalization (P = .004), overall emergency care use (P = .017), and QOL (P < .001). In multivariate model, sarcopenia [odds ratio (OR) 7.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.67-20.18], age (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.09-1.29 for each year), and taking vitamin D supplements (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.11-0.74) were factors associated with mortality.



Sarcopenia screened using SARC-F was associated with subsequent QOL, overall hospitalization, overall emergency care use, and 4-year mortality. SARC-F can serve as a quick screening tool of sarcopenia.
Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Family Medicine, Renai Branch, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Preventive Medicine, Renai Branch, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Tai-Yin
TY
Wu
Department of Orthopedics, School of Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Orthopedics, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Chen-Kun
CK
Liaw
Department of Family Medicine, Renai Branch, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan. Electronic address: DAC06@tpech.gov.tw.
Fang-Chun
FC
Chen
Department of Family Medicine, Renai Branch, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Kuan-Liang
KL
Kuo
Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Wei-Chu
WC
Chie
Department of Orthopedics, School of Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Rong-Sen
RS
Yang
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan
SARC-F; Sarcopenia; mortality