Self-reported visual impairment and sarcopenia among older people in Cameroon

Aging has been clearly associated with decline in visual and physical performance. Alteration of visual function is associated with negative health outcomes including physical frailty. We assessed the relationship between Visual Impairment (VI) and sarcopenia in older persons in Cameroon. In a cross-sectional survey conducted in Douala in 2019, sarcopenia was assessed using the SPPB (Short Physical Performance Battery) test scored from 0 to 12. The diagnosis of sarcopenia was based on SPPB test score < 9 while VI was self-reported. Of the 403 participants (50.4% male) with a mean age of 67.1 (± 6.2) years, 356 (88.3%) reported a VI while the prevalence of sarcopenia was 47.9% [95% CI 43.0–52.7]. After adjusting for several factors, VI was significantly associated with sarcopenia (OR 2.66 [95% CI 1.29–5.48]). Of the SPPB subtests, only chair stand test was negatively associated with VI (β = − 0.45 [95% CI − 0.82 to 0.07]). Our study supports an association between VI and sarcopenia. If confirmed by further cohort studies, this result would suggest that VI could be considered as an early indicator of sarcopenia among older people in sub-Saharan Africa.