Skeletal muscle mass abnormalities are associated with survival rates of institutionalized elderly nursing home residents

BACKGROUND: Knowledge about the changes in skeletal muscle mass in nursing home residents is very limited. We hypothesized that such patients have different types of skeletal muscle mass abnormalities that may affect mortality rates. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and extent of skeletal muscle mass decline, its different clinical phenotypes (sarcopenia, wasting/atrophy and cachexia) and the mortality rates associated with these abnormalities. METHODS: A retrospective chart-review study comprising 109 institutionalized nursing home residents. Body mass index, body fat mass, fat free mass, skeletal muscle mass and survival rates were assessed. RESULTS: Skeletal muscle mass abnormalities were found among 73 out of 109 (67.0%) patients and were more prevalent in males compared with females (97.8% and 43.8%, respectively, p