2025 Volume 64 Issue 13 Pages 1965-1970
Objective Constipation is an important symptom in older adults. Sarcopenia is associated with constipation, but its directionality remains unclear. The present study assessed the association between sarcopenia and new-onset constipation.
Methods This prospective cohort study assessed sarcopenia at baseline in 2019 using the the Strength, Assistance with walking, Rising from a chair, Climbing stairs, and Falls (SARC-F) questionnaire. Sarcopenia was defined as a SARC-F score of ≥4. Constipation was measured in 2019 and 2020 based on self-reported constipation or laxative use, using a self-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between new-onset constipation in 2020 and sarcopenia status at the baseline.
Patients Independent community-dwelling adults ≥75 years old in Sukagawa City, Fukushima, Japan.
Results The analysis included 2,388 participants without constipation at baseline (mean age: 80.0±4.3 years old; 44.9% men), of whom 310 (13.0%) had sarcopenia at baseline. Overall, 262 participants (11.0%) developed constipation, including 57 of 310 (18.4%) with sarcopenia and 205 of 2,078 (9.9%) without sarcopenia. Participants with sarcopenia had a significantly higher risk of developing constipation than those without sarcopenia after adjusting for age, sex, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities (adjusted odds ratio, 1.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.40-2.81; p<0.001). The association between sarcopenia and new-onset constipation remained statistically significant at higher and lower SARC-F cutoff values.
Conclusion Sarcopenia was associated with new-onset constipation. Sarcopenia is a risk factor for constipation in independent community-dwelling older adults ≥75 years old. Measures addressing sarcopenia may help prevent constipation in older adults.
