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.