Difference in Diagnosis and Classification of Sarcopenia: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

Background: Sarcopenia is characterized by a progressive reduction in muscle mass, strength and function that comes with aging. There is still broad disagreement regarding for understanding and establishment of universal criteria for the screening of sarcopenia. The objective of present study is to assess differences in the diagnosis and classification of sarcopenia by applying six different criteria to the same sample. Methods Study using the criteria proposed by five groups of authors. Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorption (DXA) using a Lunar DPX densitometer. Results Participated 156 older women. The frequency of sarcopenia varied depending on the criteria used. The above frequencies exhibited statistically significant differences (p = 0.009). Conclusion Diagnosis of sarcopenia in older women varies according to the proposed criteria.