Falls in Older Women and Men: Associated Factors and Sarcopenia

Objective: Falls are the fifth leading cause of death among the older adults, and most of the risk factors of falls are modifiable. We aimed to investigate the clinical factors associated with falls comprehensively, by evaluating the sarcopenia components separately, in each gender. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Six hundred thirty-three female and 269 male outpatients, underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment, were included. Falls, in the previous 12 months, were recorded. Geriatric evaluation regarding frailty, depression, nutrition, cognitive functions, and disabilities were done with related scales. SARC-F determined sarcopenia risk, and probable sarcopenia was defined according to handgrip strength. Skeletal muscle mass index and muscle performance were measured by bioimpedance analysis and physical performance tests, including 4-meter gait speed (4-m GS) and timed up and go (TUG) tests, respectively. Results: In the study population 35.2% of female and 30.9% of male patients experienced falls. In multivariate analysis, probable sarcopenia in women [odds ratio (OR): 1.56, p=0.034] and longer TUG test performance in men (OR: 1.06, p=0.020) were independently related to falls. In addition, both in women and men urinary incontinence (OR: 1.62, p=0.016 and OR: 1.95, p=0.045, respectively), sarcopenia risk defined by SARC-F (OR: 2.74, p [less than or equal to] 0.001 and OR:4.79, p