Cut-off points to determine muscle mass reduction by electrical bioimpedance analysis for the diagnosis of sarcopenia in older adults: a systematic review.

Resumo

Introduction: Sarcopenia is considered a known muscle disease in older adults characterized by reduced muscle mass and physical performance. In 2010, the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in the Elderly (EWGSOP) established criteria for defining sarcopenia based on muscle mass, grip strength, and gait speed. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) has become popular for estimating body composition in different populations, particularly for evaluating sarcopenia in geriatrics. Objective: compares the cut-off points for the determination of decrease in muscle mass using the BIA for the diagnosis of sarcopenia in men and women over 60 years of age in the period from January 1, 2010, to July 19, 2020, a world level.

Methodology: A bibliographic search was carried out in the databases of PubMed, Science Direct, Springer, EBSCO, Scopus, OVID, and WOS. Studies were included in English and Spanish that reported the cut-off points of skeletal muscle mass evaluated by BIA for the diagnosis of sarcopenia in adults > 60 years of both sexes. Results: Only 14 studies met the inclusion criteria. The cut-off points for the decrease in muscle mass varied in each study from 2.31 kg/m² to ≤ 10.75 kg/m² in men and <5.66 kg/m² to <7.4 kg/m² in women, adjusted for height. Conclusion: New studies are required within Colombia to generate cut-off points in the population and to be able to establish an early diagnosis of sarcopenia to avoid loss of functionality.