Status of Constipation and Its Association with Sarcopenia in Older Adults: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Hyungchul Park, Jihye Lim, Ji Yeon Baek, Eunju Lee, Hee-Won Jung and Il-Young Jang
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Hyungchul Park: Department of Gastroenterology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul 05505, Korea
Jihye Lim: Department of Gastroenterology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul 05505, Korea
Ji Yeon Baek: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul 05505, Korea
Eunju Lee: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul 05505, Korea
Hee-Won Jung: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul 05505, Korea
Il-Young Jang: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul 05505, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-10

Abstract: (1) Background: As the clinical relevance of constipation and sarcopenia is not well studied, we aimed to investigate the association between them in older adults. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1278 community-dwelling older adults in South Korea. The Rome IV criteria were used to identify patients with clinically defined constipation, while sarcopenia was defined by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia consensus. The cohort was classified into three groups: no constipation, self-reported constipation only, and clinically defined constipation. (3) Results: The presence of constipation was associated with sarcopenia and slow gait speed ( p < 0.001). After adjustment for possible covariates, the association with sarcopenia attenuated, while that for slow gait speed persisted. In terms of geriatric parameters, both groups with clinically defined and self-reported constipation had a higher burden of cognitive impairment, IADL disability, and lower QOL scores ( p < 0.05) compared with those without constipation. (4) Conclusions: Sarcopenia and slow gait speed associated with constipation in community-dwelling older adults. Individuals with self-reported constipation symptoms alone showed comparable sarcopenic and geriatric burden to those with clinically defined constipation. Clinical suspicion for possible co-existing sarcopenia is warranted in older patients with constipation.

Keywords: aging; constipation; sarcopenia; geriatric assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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