ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

  • Meetings
    • ACR Convergence 2024
    • ACR Convergence 2023
    • 2023 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • ACR Convergence 2022
    • ACR Convergence 2021
    • ACR Convergence 2020
    • 2020 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting
    • 2018-2009 Meetings
    • Download Abstracts
  • Keyword Index
  • Advanced Search
  • Your Favorites
    • Favorites
    • Login
    • View and print all favorites
    • Clear all your favorites
  • ACR Meetings

Abstract Number: 325

Frailty and Sarcopenia in Inflammatory Rheumatic Disease

Elisa Trujillo1, Antonio Aznar 2, Hiurma Sanchez 1, Marta Hernandez 1, Alicia García 3 and Maria del mar Trujillo Martin 4, 1Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, 2Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canarias, Spain, 3Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Santa cruz de Tenerife, 4Servicio de Evaluación y Planificación, Fundación Canaria de Investigación Sanitaria (FUNCANIS) Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas (REDISSEC)., Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

Meeting: 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting

Keywords: Elderly, Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), sarcopenia and frailty, spondyloarthritis

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
Session Information

Date: Sunday, November 10, 2019

Title: Measures Of Healthcare Quality Poster I: Testing, Screening, & Treating

Session Type: Poster Session (Sunday)

Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM

Background/Purpose: Sarcopenia, the loss of skeletal muscle mass, is associated with adverse individual physical and metabolic changes contributing to morbidity and mortality. Sarcopenia is a core component of physical frailty that together impact negatively on an individual’s capability to live independently.

Sarcopenia and frailty are important problems among elderly individuals. 

Although relationships between sarcopenia and various chronic inflammatory diseases have been shown, the role in rheumatologic disease is currently unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of sarcopenia and frailty syndrome in patients with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis SpA).

Methods: Cross-sectional, observational and descriptive study in patients with RA and SpA (ACR and ASAS criteria) older than 50 years.

-Sarcopenia was defined as per the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People definition as Skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) ≤ 8.87 kg/m2 in men and ≤ 6.42 kg/m2 in women. Body composition analysis was performed using bioelectrical  impedance analysis (BIA): fat mass, fat-free mass and predicted skeletal muscle mass were collected. Skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) was calculated by appendicular skeletal muscle mass (sum of predicted muscle mass in all 4 limbs) divided by height squared.

– Fragility was measured according to the 5 criteria proposed by Fried, using the Frail scale, and it was considered fragile to the patient who met at least 3 and prefragiles to those who met at least 2.We applied the Frail Scale and registered data (demographic and diseased related data) using a cross-sectional, observational, and descriptive study design.

Frail scale: Based on five items, reflecting performance, selfreports and common co-morbidities (Morley JE et al., J Nutr Health Aging. 2012;16(7):601-8).

Did you feel worn out? or Did you feel tired?

Ability to climb one flight of stairs

Ability to walk 100 m

Self-report of >5% weight los

≤5 of: dementia; heart Disease; depression; arthritis; asthma;bronchitis/ emphysema; diabetes; hypertension; osteoporosis; stroke.

Results: 523 consecutive RA and SpA patients were included, 79.3 %) were female. Mean age was 55.4 years.  Patients with spondyloarthritis were 39.3% ankylosing spondylitis, 31.6% psoriasis arthritis, 20.1% undifferentiated spondyloarthritis, 9% spondyloarthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease.

Mean number of comorbidities was 1.47, with systemic hypertension and obesity as the most frequent ones (32.6 % and 27.1 %, respectively). Polypharmacy was found in 94.2 % and 63.9 % received more than five drugs simultaneously.

RA patients: 21.5 % met frailty criteria (42% in ≥ 65 years old patients). SpA patients:18.9% met frailty criterio (37% in ≥ 65 years old patients).

Conclusion: Prevalence of frailty in this study was high. Rheumatologists should make an early detection of signs of frailty.

The screenig and early detection of frailty can spur reforms to make routine care less hazardous, can focus on outcomes most relevant to patients and can aid in understanding effectiveness of health care interventions, including at the population level.


Disclosure: E. Trujillo, None; A. Aznar, None; H. Sanchez, None; M. Hernandez, None; A. García, None; M. Trujillo Martin, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Trujillo E, Aznar A, Sanchez H, Hernandez M, García A, Trujillo Martin M. Frailty and Sarcopenia in Inflammatory Rheumatic Disease [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2019; 71 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/frailty-and-sarcopenia-in-inflammatory-rheumatic-disease/. Accessed .
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

« Back to 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/frailty-and-sarcopenia-in-inflammatory-rheumatic-disease/

Advanced Search

Your Favorites

You can save and print a list of your favorite abstracts during your browser session by clicking the “Favorite” button at the bottom of any abstract. View your favorites »

All abstracts accepted to ACR Convergence are under media embargo once the ACR has notified presenters of their abstract’s acceptance. They may be presented at other meetings or published as manuscripts after this time but should not be discussed in non-scholarly venues or outlets. The following embargo policies are strictly enforced by the ACR.

Accepted abstracts are made available to the public online in advance of the meeting and are published in a special online supplement of our scientific journal, Arthritis & Rheumatology. Information contained in those abstracts may not be released until the abstracts appear online. In an exception to the media embargo, academic institutions, private organizations, and companies with products whose value may be influenced by information contained in an abstract may issue a press release to coincide with the availability of an ACR abstract on the ACR website. However, the ACR continues to require that information that goes beyond that contained in the abstract (e.g., discussion of the abstract done as part of editorial news coverage) is under media embargo until 10:00 AM ET on November 14, 2024. Journalists with access to embargoed information cannot release articles or editorial news coverage before this time. Editorial news coverage is considered original articles/videos developed by employed journalists to report facts, commentary, and subject matter expert quotes in a narrative form using a variety of sources (e.g., research, announcements, press releases, events, etc.).

Violation of this policy may result in the abstract being withdrawn from the meeting and other measures deemed appropriate. Authors are responsible for notifying colleagues, institutions, communications firms, and all other stakeholders related to the development or promotion of the abstract about this policy. If you have questions about the ACR abstract embargo policy, please contact ACR abstracts staff at [email protected].

Wiley

  • Online Journal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Permissions Policies
  • Cookie Preferences

© Copyright 2025 American College of Rheumatology