Severity of sarcopenia and mortality risk in older adults treated at the Naval Medical Center of Callao – Peru

Sarcopenia is characterized by a comprehensive decrease in muscle mass and strength and primarily affects older adults. This disease predisposes the person to frailty, increasing the risk of falls, disabilities, dependency and mortality. The aim of the research was to analyze the relationship between the severity of sarcopenia and the risk of mortality in older adults. The study was a retrospective cohort study and used secondary data from the “CEMENA Frailty Study.” 1,651 patients over 60 years of age treated in the Geriatrics area of the Naval Medical Center between 2010 and 2015 were included, the relative risk between sarcopenia, covariates, and mortality was calculated using a Poisson regression model with robust variance. The bivariate analysis showed significant associations between marital status, functional dependency, presence of two or more comorbidities, confirmed and severe sarcopenia with the risk of mortality and the adjusted Poisson regression model indicated that both confirmed sarcopenia [RRa: 3.45 (95% CI: 2.35-5.07)] and severe sarcopenia [RRa: 4.35 (95% CI: 3.04-6.22)] significantly increased the risk of mortality. Sarcopenia, in its confirmed and severe forms, was associated with a considerably increased risk of mortality in older adults, which underscores the importance of early interventions by healthcare personnel to manage this condition.