• Tai-Yin Wu, Chen-Kun Liaw, Fang-Chun Chen, Kuan-Liang Kuo, Wei-Chu Chie, and Rong-Sen Yang.
• Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Family Medicine, Renai Branch, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Preventive Medicine, Renai Branch, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan.
• J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2016 Dec 1; 17 (12): 1129-1135.

ObjectivesThere is no gold standard in diagnosing sarcopenia. We aimed to assess the validity of screening sarcopenia using SARC-F (sluggishness, assistance in walking, rise from a chair, climb stairs, falls).DesignProspective cohort study.SettingCommunity hospital in Taiwan.ParticipantsCommunity-dwelling senior citizens.MeasurementsParticipants were interviewed with a structured questionnaire annually. The questionnaire items were recoded into the 5 items of SARC-F (sluggishness, assistance in walking, rise from a chair, climb stairs, falls). In the baseline year, a subgroup was tested for grip strength and body composition. Healthcare utilization and mortality were based on self-report and hospital records. Our main outcome was 4-year mortality. Secondary outcomes included hospitalization, emergency care use, and quality of life (QOL) measured using the CASP-12 scale (control, autonomy, self-realization, pleasure (control, autonomy, self-realization, pressure).ResultsThere were 670 participants. The mean age was 76.1 (standard deviation 6.36). One-half were men (n = 340, 50.7%). The prevalence of sarcopenia was 6.1% (n = 41). SARC-F scores were inversely associated with grip strength (P = .001) and skeletal muscle composition (P = .045). Participants with sarcopenia were mostly women (P = .005) and older (P < .001). In univariate analysis, sarcopenia was associated with 1- to 4-year mortalities (P = .033, .001, .001, <.001, respectively), overall hospitalization (P = .004), overall emergency care use (P = .017), and QOL (P < .001). In multivariate model, sarcopenia [odds ratio (OR) 7.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.67-20.18], age (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.09-1.29 for each year), and taking vitamin D supplements (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.11-0.74) were factors associated with mortality.ConclusionsSarcopenia screened using SARC-F was associated with subsequent QOL, overall hospitalization, overall emergency care use, and 4-year mortality. SARC-F can serve as a quick screening tool of sarcopenia.Copyright © 2016 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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