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Evaluation of sarcopenia in patients with distal radius fractures

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Abstract

Summary

Sarcopenia is more prevalent in patients with distal radius fracture (DRF) than in age- and sex-matched controls. Lower appendicular mass index in men and weaker grip strength in both men and women increase the likelihood of DRF.

Introduction

Sarcopenia is a core component of physical frailty that predisposes older people to falls and negatively impacts the activities of daily living. The objectives of this study were to compare the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with DRF with that in age- and sex-matched controls without DRF; and evaluate the association between sarcopenia and the occurrence of DRF.

Methods

We prospectively recruited 132 patients over 50 years of age who sustained DRF due to fall and 132 age- and sex-matched controls without DRF. A definition of sarcopenia was based on the consensus of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. Sarcopenic components including appendicular lean body mass, grip strength, and gait speed were compared between the two groups. Other factors assessed for the occurrence of DRF were age, gender, body mass index (BMI), lumbar, and hip bone mineral density (BMD) values. A conditional logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the associations between sarcopenia and the occurrence of DRF.

Results

A total of 39 (30%) of 132 DRF patients were sarcopenic, whereas 23 (17%) of the 132 controls were within the sarcopenic criteria (p = 0.048). The patient group had significantly lower lean body mass and weaker grip strength than those of the control group. However, there was no significant difference in gait speed between the two groups. According to regression analysis, lower appendicular mass index in men was associated with an increased incidence of DRF (odds ratio [OR] = 0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.72, 0.95) while weaker grip strength and lower total hip BMD values were associated with the occurrence of DRF in both men (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.63, 0.92; and OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.64, 0.94, respectively) and women (OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.64, 0.93, and OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.52, 0.92, respectively).

Conclusions

Sarcopenia is more prevalent in patients with DRF than in age- and sex-matched controls. Lower appendicular mass in men, weaker grip strength, and lower hip BMD in both men and women increase the likelihood of DRF.

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Acknowledgements

The author (YHR) has received research grant from Ewha Womans University in Korea (Ewha Womans University Research Grant of 2016), which was used for laboratory fees and salaries for baseline data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Young Hak Roh & Young Do Koh

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kangwon National University Hospital, 156 Baengnyeong-ro, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, 200-722, South Korea

    Jung Ho Noh

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Hyun Sik Gong & Goo Hyun Baek

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Correspondence to Jung Ho Noh.

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Roh, Y.H., Koh, Y., Noh, J.H. et al. Evaluation of sarcopenia in patients with distal radius fractures. Arch Osteoporos 12, 5 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11657-016-0303-2

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