Association between sarcopenia and hospitalization in community-dwelling older adults, using the SARC-F and SARC-CalF methods: a systematic review protocol

Abstract

Background: Sarcopenia is a syndrome highly prevalent in older adults, leading to negative health outcomes such as reduced functionality, increased dependence, hospitalization and mortality. It is diagnosed using high-tech methods that are unavailable to the general population. Thus, it is useful to use low-cost and easily applicable sarcopenia screening methods such as SARC-F or SARC-CalF. However, it is unknown whether sarcopenia, as identified by these methods, is associated with a higher risk of hospitalization in the older adults population. Thus, this systematic review protocol aims to determine whether there is an association between sarcopenia, as diagnosed by the SARC-F and SARC-CalF methods, and hospitalization in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: This study follows the criteria proposed by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols. We will include studies with an observational design, conducted with community-dwelling older adults (≥ 60 years), that used SARC-F/SARC-CalF as screening tool for sarcopenia, and that presented hospitalization indicators. The following databases will be used: PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Lilacs. Studies will be selected based on title, abstract, and full text. The quality of the included studies will be assessed using “Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation” tool. The risk of bias will be assessed using Downs and Black tool.

Results: The results of this research may deepen our knowledge of these two methods and their use for identifying and monitoring sarcopenia.

Conclusions: Our research will especially benefit if these tools can discriminate the potential risk of hospitalization in older adults and so contribute to reducing early mortality.

Keywords:

• Muscle mass
• community
• geriatrics
• public health
• lean mass

Acknowledgment

We thank IF Goiano and the Graduate Program in Health Sciences, UFG School of Medicine, for their support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Financing

Not applicable.

Protocol number registration in PROSPERO

CRD42021229485

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Aline de Bastos Ferreira

Aline de Bastos Ferreira is an Undergraduate student at the School of Medicine of Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiania, Brazil. Member of the research group Laboratory Dra Erika Silveira.

Romulo Roosevelt da Silva Filho

Romulo Roosevelt da Silva Filho is an Undergraduate student at the School of Medicine of Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiania, Brazil. Member of the research group Laboratory Dra Erika Silveira.

Luciana Pereira Rodrigues

Luciana Pereira Rodrigues is a Nurse from the Universidade Federal de Goiás, Nursing School, Goiânia, Brazil. Master's student of the Graduate Program in Health Sciences, School of Medicine of the Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil. Research interest: gerontology, public health and epidemiology.

Guilherme Vinicius de Souza

Guilherme Vinicius de Souza is a Master's student in Health Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidade Federal de Goiás. Develops research in the field of epidemiology and gerontology.

Matias Noll

Matias Noll is a Member of Child and Adolescent Health Research Group (GPSaCA). Professor at Goiano Federal Institute, Ceres, Brazil. Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, Odense, Denmark.

Erika Aparecida Silveira

Erika Aparecida da Silveira has done PhD in Epidemiology and public health at Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil and Post-doc in Epidemiology at University College London, UK. Professor and associate researcher at Federal University of Goias, master degree and PhD advisor at Health Science graduate program. Research areas: epidemiology, clinical trials, clinical nutrition, aging, body composition, obesity, non communicable disease.