Evaluating Respiratory Muscle Strength in Sarcopenia Screening among Older Men in South Korea: A Retrospective Analysis.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the potential of incorporating respiratory muscle strength, specifically maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), along with traditional sarcopenia screening measures such as hand grip strength (HGS) and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), to identify sarcopenia in older men.

Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted involving male patients aged 65 years and older who underwent measurements of respiratory muscle strength, HGS, and muscle mass at a general hospital in Korea from July 2016 to May 2022. Statistical analysis utilized independent t-tests and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to assess the sensitivity and specificity of MIP, MEP, HGS, and SMI in sarcopenia screening. The cut-off values for sarcopenia screening were determined based on the area under the ROC curve (AUC).

Results: The analysis of 282 study participants revealed the following cut-off values for sarcopenia based on the AUC: for MIP, the cut-off value was 65.50 cmH₂O (AUC=0.70, sensitivity: 0.63, specificity: 0.61), while for MEP, it was 84.50 cmH₂O (AUC=0.74, sensitivity: 0.66, specificity: 0.68).

Conclusions: This study showed the utility of respiratory muscle strength in screening for sarcopenia among older men. We suggest the screening cut-off values as 65.50 cmH₂O for MIP and 84.50 cmH₂O for MEP. Even when HGS and SMI measurements are not feasible, sarcopenia can be reasonably predicted based on respiratory muscle strength.