Implications of Race and Ethnicity in Sarcopenia US National Prevalence of Sarcopenia by Muscle Mass, Strength, and Function Indices

Sarcopenia prevalence varies widely by definitions and populations, which led to the creation of new criteria by the Sarcopenia Definitions and Outcomes Consortium. Yet, the degree to which sarcopenia prevalence varies according to these criteria across race and ethnic groups in the U.S. population needs further investigation. We estimated the US national prevalence of sarcopenia using different indices among adults aged 50–80 years across race and ethnicity groups utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES: 1999–2002 and 2011–2014). Sarcopenia was defined by appendicular lean mass divided by body mass index (ALM/BMI), grip strength, and gait speed. For each index the following samples were constructed: grip strength (NHANES 2011–2014: N=4,615), gait speed (NHANES 1999–2002: N=3,448) and ALM/BMI (NHANES 1999–2002: N=3,448) among adults aged 50–80 years. Sarcopenia prevalence varied by race/ethnicity: NH-Whites (11.2–24.3%), Hispanics (21.9–36.0%), NH-Blacks (4.4–27.7%), and Asians/others (18.5–35.7%). Based on the multivariable models, compared to NH-Whites, NH-Blacks were less likely to have sarcopenia by ALM/BMI (OR=0.26, 95%CI: 0.18–0.39), and more likely by gait speed (OR=3.90, 95% CI: 3.00–5.06) with no difference by grip strength (OR=0.96, 95%CI: 0.75–1.24). While, Hispanics and Asians/others were more likely to have sarcopenia by grip strength, gait speed, and ALM/BMI (ORs=2.15–3.21) compared to NH-Whites. This study suggests the need for inclusion of race/ethnicity related criteria in sarcopenia definitions. Future investigations could determine whether this discrepancy between race/ethnicity across sarcopenia indices, particularly in NH-Blacks, is partly due to either muscle mass or functional changes with aging.