Prevalence of and factors associated with sarcopenia in elderly patients with end-stage renal disease

Summary Background & aims We investigated the prevalence of sarcopenia in elderly patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and its relationship with various markers of nutrition, cognitive function, depressive symptoms, inflammation and β2-microglobulin. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 95 patients having ESRD aged over 50 years. Sarcopenia was defined as a decline in both muscle mass and strength. Results The mean age was 63.9 ± 10.0 years; 56.8% were men and 52.6% had diabetes. Sarcopenia was highly prevalent in elderly patients with ESRD (37.0% in men and 29.3% in women). Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), inflammatory markers and β2-microglobulin levels were significantly associated with sarcopenia, even after adjustment for age, gender, diabetes, and body mass index. Additionally, patients with depressive symptoms showed a higher risk of sarcopenia relative to those without depressive symptoms (odds ratio, OR = 6.87, 95% confidence interval, CI = 2.06–22.96) and sarcopenia was more likely to be present in patients with mild cognitive dysfunction (OR = 6.35, 95% CI = 1.62–34.96). Conclusions Sarcopenia is highly prevalent in elderly patients with ESRD and is closely associated with SGA, inflammatory markers, β2-microglobulin, depression and cognitive dysfunction.