Investigation of secondary sarcopenia in hospitalizes patients

Abstract

Introduction: Sarcopenia is characterized by loss of strength and muscle mass. Some factors such as a sedentary lifestyle, malnutrition, hormonal changes and prolonged hospitalization may favor the development of this syndrome. Objective: To investigate secondary sarcopenia in adult patients admitted to the ward. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study, whose sample consisted of adults between 18 and 60 years of age, with up to 72 hours of admission to the Medical Clinic of a tertiary hospital, from December 2022 to January de 2023. Sociodemographic and clinical information were collected. The SARC-F questionnaire was applied to screen the risk of sarcopenia, following the investigation through the assessment of strength and muscle mass. Results: The sample consisted of 40 patients, 75% female, with a mean age of 44.65 years. When evaluating the SARC-F, 42.5% showed risk of sarcopenia at the time of admission, 40% had muscle weakness, being more evident in women and 20% depletion of muscle mass, 25% were diagnosed with probable sarcopenia and 15% with sarcopenia. Discussion: Early investigation of sarcopenia in the adult population hospitalized from the moment of admission is necessary, using low-cost and easy-to-apply methods, in order to enable prior intervention. Conclusion: There was a significant number of young adults at risk of sarcopenia and muscle weakness at the time of admission. Therefore, it is suggested that this evaluation becomes routine, in order to detect this syndrome quickly and thus revert or minimize its possible deleterious effects.