Correlation between Sarcopenia and Vitamin D Level in Elderly Population

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is defined as progressive reduction in muscle mass, muscle strength and function that affects older people.Muscle mass decrease is probably the single most frequent cause of late-life disability among older people. It is directly responsible for functional impairment with loss of strength, and increased likelihood of falls and fractures.Many studies have shown that low serum 25(OH)D levels are related to accelerated losses in muscle mass and reduced muscular strength, reduced muscle power and gait speed. In this study relation between vitamin D level and sarcopenia was analyzed. METHODS: 50 elderly patient of age more than 65years without sarcopenia and 50 elderly with sarcopenia in Geriatric department were selected. Elderly with sarcopenia were selected based on EWGSOP definition using muscle mass, strength and gait speed. The vitamin D level of both the group were compared. RESULTS: Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (includes both deficiency and insufficiency) in both group were 78% and 86% respectively. Mean Vitamin D level in both groups were 41.03nmol and 58.69nmol respectively. Severe deficiency with vitamin D less than 25nmol was seen in 12% and 6% in sarcopenic and non sarcopenic elders respectively. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D deficiency is one of the contributing factors for sarcopenia and the prevalence rates for severe vitamin D deficiency is higher in sarcopenic elderly