PP472 - PHASE ANGLE MAY REFLECT EARLIER NUTRITIONAL DETERIORATION THAN ORAL MUSCLE THINNING IN OLDER ADULTS

PP472

PHASE ANGLE MAY REFLECT EARLIER NUTRITIONAL DETERIORATION THAN ORAL MUSCLE THINNING IN OLDER ADULTS

O. Ulusoy^1,*, O. Gümüşçubuk², V. Atmış², A. Temel³, A. Kademligil⁴, V. Aykaç⁵, S. Demirer⁶

¹Department of Internal Medicine, ²Department of Geriatrics, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, ³Department of Internal Medicine, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, ⁴Department of Clinical Nutrition, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Türkiye, ⁵Department of General Surgery and Clinical Nutrition, Charite Berlin University Faculty of Medicine, Berlin, Germany, ⁶Department of General Surgery and Clinical Nutrition, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Türkiye

Rationale: Malnutrition in older adults is associated with changes in muscle structure and body composition. This study examined the relationship between nutritional status and muscle-related parameters, comparing oral muscle morphology assessed by ultrasonography with global muscle measures obtained by bioelectrical impedance analysis.

Methods: This prospective study included 153 older adults (mean age 72.4 years) categorized by MNA-SF as normal (n=75), at risk of malnutrition (n=65), or malnourished (n=13). Masseter and temporal muscle thickness were assessed by ultrasonography, while phase angle and skeletal muscle index were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Group comparisons were performed using non-parametric tests with post-hoc pairwise analyses, and multivariable linear regression was performed to identify independent correlates of masseter muscle thickness.

Results: Oral muscle thickness decreased significantly with worsening nutritional status (p<0.001). Post-hoc analyses showed that temporal and masseter muscle thickness differed mainly between the normal and malnourished groups, whereas phase angle (PhA) differed significantly across all three groups (normal, at-risk, and malnourished; all p<0.001). In multivariable linear regression, MNA-SF category remained independently associated with masseter muscle thickness (B=−0.556, p=0.009), together with age and sex, whereas comorbidity burden was not independently associated.

Conclusion: Oral muscle thinning was associated with worsening nutritional status but appeared to become more evident in overt malnutrition. In contrast, phase angle discriminated not only malnourished individuals but also those at risk, suggesting that it may reflect earlier nutritional deterioration. Bioelectrical impedance analysis and oral muscle ultrasonography may provide complementary information in the nutritional assessment of older adults.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared