Comparing Longitudinal Sarcopenia Trends by Definitions Across Men and Women After Hip Fracture

OBJECTIVES While sarcopenia is prevalent after hip fracture in the acute postfracture period, little is known about the prevalence after discharge. This study assessed longitudinal trends in sarcopenia prevalence over 12 months after hip fracture using three different operational definitions. DESIGN Prospective observational study. SETTING Baltimore Hip Studies seventh cohort. PARTICIPANTS A total of 82 men and 78 women, aged 65 years and older, with surgical repair of a nonpathological hip fracture. MEASUREMENTS Baseline assessment included a dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry scan and interview. Follow‐up assessments, which additionally included performance measures, occurred 2, 6, and 12 months after admission. Using these measures, three sarcopenia definitions were assessed over the year following hip fracture: European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older Persons (EWGSOP), International Working Group on Sarcopenia (IWGS), and Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH). RESULTS EWGSOP and IWGS provided the highest prevalence of sarcopenia (62%‐69% in men, 42%‐62% in women), while prevalence by FNIH was much lower for men (15%‐19%) and women (5%‐12%). For both men and women, the agreement between EWGSOP and IWGS definitions was excellent, and FNIH showed poor agreement with them, supported by various statistical measures across first‐year follow‐up. Prevalence was stable over time in men by all definitions, while the prevalence in women by FNIH was lowest at 2 months, significantly increased at 6 months (P = .03), and remained higher at 12 months. Whether sarcopenia prevalence differed significantly by sex varied by time point and definition; however, when different, men had a higher prevalence than women (P