CORRELATION BETWEEN SARCOPENIA, RISK OF FALLS AND MORTALITY IN THE ELDERLY - SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES

Abstract

Introduction: Sarcopenia is a progressive and generalized disorder of the skeletal muscles with multifactorial and complex causes. It involves an accelerated loss of skeletal muscle mass and is associated with increased negative outcomes in older adults, such as functional decline, frailty, falls, and death. Objective: to correlate sarcopenia with the risk of falls and mortality in the elderly. Method: A systematic review of the literature was carried out, considering the publication of observational articles as classified for inclusion. The studies considered eligible were the results of searches in the PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE and LILACS databases. The descriptors were used for searching. The same descriptors in Portuguese and Spanish provided by DECS (health sciences descriptors) were also included. Results: Of the 922 articles selected, 14 were included in the review. The results were similar in most of the articles identified: there is a positive manifestation between sarcopenia, risk of falls (p < 0.0001) and sarcopenia and mortality (p = 0.009) in the elderly population. Conclusion: It is concluded that sarcopenia is a risk factor for falls and increased general mortality in the elderly.