2026 Volume 53 Issue 3 Pages 201-208
Objective: To identify admission physical function indicators associated with improvement in sarcopenia status at discharge among patients with sarcopenia in a convalescent rehabilitation ward.
Methods: Eighty-seven patients diagnosed with sarcopenia according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 criteria were included. Patients whose sarcopenia severity improved by one stage at discharge were classified as the improved group, whereas those whose severity was maintained or worsened were classified as the non-improved group. Admission skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), phase angle, muscle strength, and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) were compared between groups. Bayesian logistic regression was performed with sarcopenia improvement as the dependent variable.
Results: In the regression analysis, admission motor FIM was estimated as an indicator associated with sarcopenia improvement.
Conclusion: In a convalescent rehabilitation ward, admission motor FIM may be associated with improvement in sarcopenia status and may serve as a reference for understanding convalescent rehabilitation outcomes.
