Relationship between sarcopenia and orthostatic hypotension

Abstract Background The relationship between sarcopenia and orthostatic hypotension (OH) is unclear. Objectives The aim of the present study was to investigate associations between sarcopenia/sarcopenia severity and OH. Design A total of 511 patients attending a geriatric outpatient clinic were included. OH was defined as a decrease in systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure of ≥ 20 mmHg and/or ≥ 10 mmHg, respectively, when one transitions from the supine to an upright position. OH was measured by the Head-up Tilt Table test at 1, 3 and 5 min (OH1, OH3 and OH5, respectively). Sarcopenia and its severity were defined according to the revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis. Results The mean age of the sample was 75.40 ± 7.35 years, and 69.9% were female. The prevalence of probable sarcopenia, sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia was 42.2%, 6.06% and 11.1%, respectively. After adjustment for all covariates, systolic OH1, OH1 and systolic OH5 were statistically significantly different between severe sarcopenia and the robust group (odds ratio [OR]: 3.26, confidence interval [CI] 0.98–10.84; P = 0.05 for systolic OH1; OR 4.31, CI 1.31–14.15; P = 0.016 for OH1; OR 4.09, CI 1.01–16.55; P = 0.048 for systolic OH5). Only systolic OH1 was statistically different between the sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia groups (OR 2.64, CI 1.87–8.73; P = 0.012). OH1 and OH5 were statistically significant different between severe sarcopenia and probable sarcopenia groups (P 0.05). Conclusions There is a close relationship between sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia and OH in older adults. Therefore, when a healthcare practitioner is evaluating an older patient with sarcopenia, OH should also be evaluated, and vice versa.