Prevalence of sarcopenia in pre-frail community dwelling older adult and utility of SARC-F, SARC-CalF and calf circumference in case finding

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of sarcopenia in the pre-frail community dwelling older adults based on the Asian Workgroup for Sarcopenia (AWGS 2019) criteria. In addition, the utility of case finding using the SARC-F, SARC-CalF and calf circumference on impact of prevalence was explored. METHODS: 75 older adults ≥65 years old were recruited between October 2019 and March 2020. The algorithms of AWGS 2019 was applied retrospectively to pre-frail participants recruited for an intervention study in primary care setting. In addition to demographics, SARC-F, calf circumference (CC), muscle mass, grip strength, gait speed, 5-time chair stand timing and short physical performance battery test (SPPB) were measured, to determine sarcopenia using AWGS 2019. SARC-CalF was determined using SARC-F and CC. RESULTS: The prevalence of sarcopenia based on AWGS 2019 algorithm was 16.0%, possible sarcopenia 73.3% and severe sarcopenia 12.0%. Using SARC-F for case finding reduced the overall prevalence of sarcopenia to 4.0%, possible sarcopenia to 12.0% and severe sarcopenia to 4.0%. Positive percentage agreement of case finding criteria of SARC-F, SARC-CaIF and calf circumference for sarcopenia was 33%, 42% and 58% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Using the AWGS 2019 without case finding, the prevalence of sarcopenia was 16%. However, using SARC-F for case finding underestimated prevalence in this group by 75%. Utility of SARC-F for case finding in pre-frail requires further evaluation.