Sarcopenia in the elderly with a history of COPD/asthma: Results of the SABE-Bogotá study

Introduction It has been reported that sarcopenia frequently co-exists with COPD/asthma, and can significantly affect quality of life and the control of chronic diseases. The aim of this study is to describe the association between COPD/asthma and sarcopenia. Material and methods Data was used from the SABE-Bogotá study, which included 2,000 older adults aged 60 years or more. It is a cross-probabilistic cluster sample with 81.9% coverage. The dependent variable was COPD/asthma. An analysis was performed to determine the association with sarcopenia and the other variables using univariate and bivariate analysis and logistic regression adjusted to confusion variables. Results The self-reported prevalence of COPD/asthma in the total sample was 16.7%, and Sarcopenia was estimated as 6,96%, but in COPD/asthma patients it was 11.2% (P =.004). In the multivariate analysis an association was found between COPD/asthma and sarcopenia (2.01, 95% CI: 1,21-3,35). Conclusions Screening of sarcopenia in older adults with COPD/asthma, as well as interventions such as nutrition and exercise, are important, and ideally in the context of pulmonary rehabilitation programs, due the significant independent association that was found between COPD/asthma and sarcopenia.