Sarcopenia risk and diabetes mellitus are independent factors for lower limb muscle strength in older patients with acute stroke: A cross-sectional study

Objectives: Lower extremity (LE) muscle strength is an important factor for functional outcome in patients with stroke. However, to our knowledge, the factors influencing LE muscle strength in older patients with acute stroke have not been studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between pre-stroke sarcopenia risk and comorbidities with LE muscle strength in older patients with acute stroke. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we assessed LE muscle strength using the Motricity IUndex (MI), and prestroke sarcopenia risk using SARC-F, a questionnaire for sarcopenia. Multivariate regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship of MI with sarcopenia risk, neurologic deficit assessed by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and comorbidities in these patients. Results: We enrolled 223 patients aged 65 and over with acute stroke (127 men and 96 women; mean age 76 y). Multivariate analyses for MI after adjusting for potential confounders, NIHSS score, diabetes mellitus, and the presence of sarcopenia risk were independently and negatively associated with MI in older patients with stroke (beta = -0.775, P < 0.001; beta = -0109, P = 0.010; beta = -0.097, P = 0.030, respectively). Conclusions: Prestroke sarcopenia and diabetes mellitus are associated with LE muscle strength in older patients with acute stroke, and these assessments would be useful for clinicians. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study investigated the relationships between pre-stroke sarcopenia risk and comorbidities with lower extremity muscle strength in older patients with acute stroke. It found that pre-stroke sarcopenia and diabetes mellitus were negatively associated with lower extremity muscle strength, providing useful information for clinicians.