This study aimed to estimate the frequency and overlap of cachexia, malnutrition, and sarcopenia in elderly patients with diabetes mellitus. Patients who were aged at least 65 years, had diabetes mellitus, and were regularly visiting the Ise Red Cross Hospital on an outpatient basis were included. The patients were assessed to determine whether they had cachexia, malnutrition, and sarcopenia according to the Asian Working Group for Cachexia criteria, the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition criteria, and the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 criteria. A total of 510 patients (310 men and 200 women) were analyzed in this study. Sarcopenia, cachexia, and malnutrition were found in 84 patients (16.4%), 40 patients (7.8%) (17.8% among patients with chronic diseases), and 110 patients (21.5%), respectively. Among patients with sarcopenia, the frequencies of cachexia and malnutrition were 30% and 71.4%, respectively. Among patients with cachexia, the frequencies of sarcopenia and malnutrition were 65% and 90%, respectively, and among those with malnutrition, the frequencies of sarcopenia and cachexia were 54% and 32.7%, respectively. The overlap among cachexia, malnutrition, and sarcopenia appears to be an important factor to be considered in the treatment of elderly patients with diabetes mellitus.
Keywords: cachexia; elderly patients with diabetes mellitus; malnutrition; sarcopenia.