Article ID: 12148
Objective: To clarify the impact of sarcopenia on the performance index of patients admitted to convalescent rehabilitation wards.
Methods: We included consecutive patients aged ≥65 years admitted to a single palliative care unit between May 2019 and June 2020. The primary outcome was the performance index, an indicator of the degree of improvement in the ability to perform activities of daily living. Multiple regression was used to analyze the relationship between sarcopenia and the performance index.
Results: Among the 128 patients (mean age 81.5 years), the prevalence of sarcopenia was 76.6%. The performance index of the sarcopenia group was significantly lower than that of the non-sarcopenia group (42.2 vs. 52.2, p=0.039). The multiple regression analysis showed that sarcopenia was independently associated with the performance index (β=−20.91, p=0.003). In addition, the Skeletal Muscle Mass Index was independently associated with the performance index (β=−18.82, p=0.008).
Conclusion: Sarcopenia was an independent predictor of the performance index in patients admitted to convalescent rehabilitation wards.
