Introduction:
Sarcopenia is an age-related decline in muscle mass and function. Studies have shown the association between sarcopenia with increased morbidity and mortality. Additionally, sarcopenia serves as an entry point into the physical cycle of frailty, a separate but overlapping entity in which frail individuals are susceptible to adverse health outcomes and impaired quality of life.
Hip fracture patients with sarcopaenia have increased risk of poor outcomes following hospitalisation. Whilst osteoporosis is a known risk factor for fractures, the association between sarcopenia and fracture risk is increasingly recognised.
Our aims in this study was to compare a group of women with hip fracture and controls in terms of:
Methods: Women age > 60 years old who presents with a hip fracture were recruited for the study. For comparison, women above the age of 60 awaiting hip replacement or well women in the community were enrolled.
Results:Women in the hip fracture group were older (80.70 ±11.30 vs 71.64 ± 5.51 years, p value 0.004), had a lower Body Mass Index (26.42 ± 5.14 vs 30.22 ± 7.54, p value 0.089)
and were lighter. Women awaiting hip replacement and in the community had higher lean muscle mass (8.079 ± 2.40 vs5.78 ± 3.60 kilograms, p value 0.033) compared to women with hip fracture.
Conclusion:Women with hip fracture have lower lean muscle mass compared to controls.