LB003 - SINGLE-CENTER POPULATION ANALYSIS OF ALL HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS: SARCOPENIA ASSESSMENT INTEGRATING NUTRITIONAL SCREENING AND ANTHROPOMETRY

LB003

SINGLE-CENTER POPULATION ANALYSIS OF ALL HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS: SARCOPENIA ASSESSMENT INTEGRATING NUTRITIONAL SCREENING AND ANTHROPOMETRY

S. U. Çelik¹, B. Kutlu^1,*, P. Arı², S. Demirer¹

¹General surgery, ²nutrition, Ankara University School of Medicine, ankara, Türkiye

 

Rationale: Sarcopenia is a critical predictor of adverse outcomes in hospitalized patients, yet its prevalence may be underestimated when relying on subjective screening or low BMI alone. In an unselected, all-comers inpatient cohort, where malnutrition rates are lower than in selectively screened groups, we evaluated the true burden of sarcopenia by integrating both questionnaire-based and objective anthropometric measures.

Methods: In this prospective observational study, 271 consecutive adults admitted to the General Surgery Department of Ankara University (September–November 2024) were assessed within 24 hours of admission. Nutritional risk was screened with NRS-2002 and Subjective Global Assessment, defining malnutrition as BMI < 18.5 kg/m². Sarcopenia risk was initially gauged via SARC-F (score ≥ 4). Objective measures; hand-grip strength (HGS), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), and calf circumference (CC); were performed per EWGSOP2 guidelines, with sex-specific cut-offs (HGS < 27 kg men/16 kg women; CC < 34 cm men/31 cm women; MUAC < 23 cm men/22 cm women). Correlations were analyzed using Pearson/Spearman tests; group comparisons via Fisher’s exact test.

Results: Mean age was 54.9 ± 16.2 years (53 % female,47% male). Malnutrition prevalence was 3.7 % by BMI and 17.0 % by NRS-2002. SARC-F flagged 3.0 % at risk, whereas HGS identified sarcopenia in 36.2 %. Among 263 SARC-F-negative patients, 34.2 % under HGS cut-off. MUAC and CC showed strong intercorrelation (r = 0.75; p < 0.01) and moderate correlation with HGS (r = 0.23; p < 0.01). All anthropometric measures inversely correlated with SARC-F scores (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: In a single-center, all-comers inpatient population with low malnutrition rates, subjective screening alone underestimates sarcopenia. Incorporating objective assessments—particularly hand-grip strength alongside MUAC and CC—uncovers a substantial hidden sarcopenia burden. A combined screening approach may improve early detection and guide timely nutritional and rehabilitative interventions.

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Van Bokhorst-de van der Schueren MAE, Guaitoli PR, Jansma EP, de Vet HCW. Nutrition screening tools: Does one size fit all? A systematic review of screening tools for the hospital setting. Clinical Nutrition. 2014 Feb;33(1):39–58.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared