Prospective associations of low muscle mass and strength with health-related quality of life over 10-year in community-dwelling older adults

Saliu Balogun; Tania Winzenberg; Karen Wills; David Scott; Graeme Jones; Michele L Callisaya; Dawn Aitken

doi:10.1016/j.exger.2019.01.008

Prospective associations of low muscle mass and strength with health-related quality of life over 10-year in community-dwelling older adults

Exp Gerontol. 2019 Apr:118:65-71. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2019.01.008. Epub 2019 Jan 12.

Authors

Saliu Balogun¹, Tania Winzenberg², Karen Wills³, David Scott⁴, Graeme Jones⁵, Michele L Callisaya⁶, Dawn Aitken⁷

Affiliations

¹ Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Australia. Electronic address: Saliu.Balogun@utas.edu.au.
² Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Australia; Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, Australia. Electronic address: Tania.Winzenberg@utas.edu.au.
³ Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Australia. Electronic address: Karen.Wills@utas.edu.au.
⁴ Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Australia; Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia; Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science, Melbourne Medical School (Western Campus), The University of Melbourne, St Albans, Victoria 3021, Australia. Electronic address: d.scott@unimelb.edu.au.
⁵ Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Australia. Electronic address: Graeme.Jones@utas.edu.au.
⁶ Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Australia; Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia. Electronic address: Michele.Callisaya@utas.edu.au.
⁷ Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Australia. Electronic address: Dawn.Aitken@utas.edu.au.

PMID: 30641106
DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2019.01.008

Abstract

Aims: This study aims to describe the associations of low muscle mass, handgrip (HGS) and lower-limb muscle strength (LMS) with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) over 10 years in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: Participants (N = 1002; 51% women; mean age 63 ± 7.4 years) were prospectively followed for 10 years. HRQoL was measured using the validated assessment of quality of life (AQoL) instrument. Appendicular lean mass (ALM) was assessed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and normalized to body mass index (BMI). HGS and LMS were assessed using dynamometers. Low ALM/BMI (ALM/BMI_LOW), LMS (LMS_LOW) and HGS (HGS_LOW) at baseline were defined as the lowest 20% of the sex-specific distribution for each measure. Linear mixed effect regression models, adjusting for confounders, were used to estimate the association between ALM/BMI_LOW, LMS_LOW, and HGS_LOW at baseline and HRQoL over 10 years.

Results: Participants with LMS_LOW (β = -0.061, 95% CI: -0.089, -0.033) and women (β = -0.089, 95% CI: -0.129, -0.049) but not men (β = -0.023, 95% CI: -0.064, 0.019) with HGS_LOW had clinically meaningful reductions in HRQoL over 10 years compared to those with normal strength. There was a weaker but statistically significant association between ALM/BMI_LOW and 10-year HRQoL (β = -0.038, 95% CI: -0.068, -0.008).

Conclusions: Lower-limb muscle strength and handgrip strength (in women only), which can be easily measured in clinical practice, appear more important than muscle mass for HRQoL.

Keywords: Body composition; Health-related quality of life; Muscle mass; Muscle strength.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Body Composition
Female
Hand Strength
Humans
Independent Living / psychology*
Male
Middle Aged
Muscle Strength / physiology*
Prospective Studies
Quality of Life*
Sarcopenia / epidemiology*