Prevalence of and factors associated with sarcopenia among elderly individuals with hypertension

PURPOSE: Sarcopenia is a major health problem in community-dwelling elderly individuals. Hypertension is postulated to aggravate sarcopenia. The present study was performed to estimate the prevalence of and factors associated with sarcopenia among elderly individuals with hypertension. METHODS: This study involved 165 Chinese individuals with hypertension aged ≥60 years who were evaluated for sarcopenia using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia criteria. Data on their sociodemographic information, physical illnesses, and clinical and functional status were collected. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of sarcopenia among elderly individuals with hypertension was 20.2%. The factors significantly associated with sarcopenia were an age of ≥70 years (adjusted odds ratio (OR), 3.01; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.17–5.39), diabetes (OR, 4.45; 95% CI, 1.32–11.16), osteoporosis (OR, 2.52; 95% CI, 1.13–5.37), drinking (OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 1.26–7.85), and a body mass index of 24.0 to 27.9 kg/m(2) (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.59–0.91). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed a very high prevalence of sarcopenia among elderly individuals with hypertension (20.2%). Sarcopenia may be associated with advanced age, drinking, diabetes, the body mass index, and osteoporosis. The longitudinal relationship between clinic visits and sarcopenia should be further evaluated.