Sarcopenia y estado nutricional en adultos mayores que residen en los centros geriátricos de la ciudad de Cuenca en el periodo febrero - julio del 2022

Abstract

Background: Sarcopenia is a very common disorder present in elderly. It is characterized by the loss of muscle mass accompanied by a reduction of muscle strength and a reduction in its functionality. They cause disability, loss of autonomy, and higher mortality rates in the elderly population. General objective: To determine the incidence of sarcopenia and its relationship with the nutritional status in elderly residing in Geriatric Centers in the city of Cuenca during the period February- July 2022. Methodology: Cross-sectional descriptive study. The sample consisted of 49 elderly people from seven geriatric centers in the city of Cuenca who met the criteria of inclusion and exclusion. Their nutritional status was determined and they were diagnosed with pre-sarcopenia, sarcopenia or severe sarcopenia. The information was collected through questionnaires and validated and calibrated anthropometric equipment. After that, the data was analyzed in the IBM SPSS and Microsoft Excel Software, using central trend statistics, dispersion and Chi square test. Results: 69.39% of the studied sample is female and 30.61% is male. The average age is 79.99 years with a standard deviation of ±9.2 years. 40.8% has norm weight while the remaining 59.2% has malnutrition due to deficit and excess. The incidence of sarcopenia is high, with 73.5%, and the inadequate nutritional status has a statistically significant relationship with the development of sarcopenia. Conclusion: In elderly, there is a high prevalence of developing diseases related to nutritional deficiencies such as sarcopenia. For this reason, a timely nutritional intervention is essential in order to improve the quality of life of the elderly and reduce their mortality rate.