Association between cognitive frailty and sarcopenia in hospitalized elderly population

LI Hang; REN Dan; YU Lei; WEN Yao; DING Cong; MIAO Yong-wang; ZHENG Wen-xu

doi:10.19538/j.nk2024040106

Abstract：Objective To evaluate the incidence of cognitive impairment and its correlation with sarcopenia indicators in hospitalized elderly population.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to select 108 elderly patients aged ≥ 60 years who were hospitalized in the geriatric department of Dalian Friendship Hospital from May to July 2023.They were assessed for frailty using the FRAIL scale and for cognitive impairment using the mini-mental state examination(MMSE).The patients were divided into Normal group(n=16),Frailty group(n=42),Cognitive decline group(n=1 1),and Cognitive Frailty group(n=39).General clinical data and sarcopenia indicators were collected and then compared among the four groups to evaluate the correlation between each sarcopenia indicator and cognitive frailty.Results Cognitive frailty had the highest incidence rate of sarcopenia compared with the other groups(P＜0.05);There was no statistically significant difference in the body composition indicators among the four groups(P＞0.05).The proportion of poor grip strength,slow five sit-ups and slow 6-meter gait increased,the TUG duration and Morse fall score increased,while the SPPB score decreased in the Cognitive Frailty group with significant differences(P＜0.05).Cognitive frailty components,the FRAIL and MMSE scales,were significantly correlated with motor related indicators of sarcopenia(P＜0.05).Conclusion The incidence of sarcopenia was high among the elderly inpatients with cognitive impairment.Cognitive frailty was related to muscle strength and muscle function indicators of sarcopenia,but not significantly correlated with muscle mass measured by human body composition analysis.