How common is sarcopenia associated with frailty? Diagnosis using the Kihon Checklist.

Purpose: We aimed to determine the association between sarcopenia and frailty in Japan's hyperaged society.

Methods: We investigated the incidence of sarcopenia and frailty among 423 community-dwelling older adults (304 women and 119 men ; mean age : 77.0 years). Interviews, Kihon Checklist (KCL) assessments, physical function tests, and anthropometric measurements were performed at baseline. Sarcopenia was defined according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 criteria, with a KCL score of ≥7 indicating frailty.

Results: Eight patients (1.9%) had sarcopenia alone, 113 (26.7%) had frailty alone, and 26 (6.1%) had both sarcopenia and frailty. The instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scores were significantly higher in all groups. Logistic regression analysis showed the association of sarcopenia and frailty with IADL. The receiver operating characteristic curves of the total KCL and IADL scores were analyzed to determine the cutoff value for assessing sarcopenia with frailty. The cutoff value for the total KCL score was 7.000, while that for the KCL-IADL score was 2.000.

Conclusion: Approximately 6.1% of patients were diagnosed with sarcopenia with frailty using the KCL. These conditions were found to impair IADL. Hence, interventions addressing both frailty and sarcopenia may help prevent the decline in IADL. J. Med. Invest. 72 : 139-147, February, 2025.