Risk of sarcopenia in community-dwelling older women with complaint of acute low back pain

ABSTRACT The risk of sarcopenia was verified in community-dwelling older women with complaints of acute low back pain. The pain index and mobility/balance were compared between patients at risk of sarcopenia and the non-sarcopenic ones. This is a cross-sectional research, subproject of the epidemiological and multicenter study Back Complaints in the Elders (BACE). patients were older women with at least one episode of acute low back pain within six weeks prior to data collection. We evaluated the walking speed (4.6 m), grip strength (Jamar dynamometer), pain index (analog pain scale) and mobility/balance (Timed Up and Go test). Risk of sarcopenia was estimated by percentage measure and comparisons by the Independent Samples t Test. A significance level of 5% was adopted. A total of 322 older women participated in this study. The risk of sarcopenia was 54%, i.e., 173 patients (71.8±5.2 years) were at risk of sarcopenia and 149 (46%) were non-sarcopenic (71.5±5.1 years). There was difference for the pain intensity (p=0.02) and the mobility/balance (p=0.01), given that the ones at risk of sarcopenia were in worse conditions. The results showed risk of sarcopenia among older women with acute low back pain. The latter showed higher pain index and worse mobility/balance, suggesting that sarcopenia, if present in older women with this pain, can influence negatively the functionality.

摘要
本研究针对主诉急性腰痛的社区居住老年女性，评估了肌少症（sarcopenia）的患病风险，并对比了肌少症风险组与非肌少症组受试者的疼痛指数及活动/平衡能力。本研究为横断面研究，是多中心流行病学研究《老年腰痛问题（Back Complaints in the Elders, BACE）》的子课题。
研究纳入的受试者为数据采集前六周内至少出现过一次急性腰痛发作的老年女性。我们评估了受试者的4.6米步行速度、握力（Jamar测力计，Jamar dynamometer）、疼痛指数（类比疼痛量表，analog pain scale）以及活动/平衡能力（计时起立行走试验，Timed Up and Go test）。肌少症风险通过百分比法进行估算，组间比较采用独立样本t检验，设定显著性水平为5%。
本研究共纳入322名老年女性受试者。肌少症风险率为54%，其中173名受试者（年龄71.8±5.2岁）属于肌少症风险组，剩余149名（占比46%，年龄71.5±5.1岁）为非肌少症组。肌少症风险组的疼痛强度（p=0.02）与活动/平衡能力（p=0.01）均表现更差，组间差异具有统计学意义。
研究结果证实，主诉急性腰痛的老年女性存在肌少症风险。该类人群的疼痛指数更高、活动与平衡能力更差，提示若这类腰痛老年女性合并肌少症，可能会对其身体机能产生负面影响。