Abstract

Background: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between phase angle and existence of locomotive syndrome, malnutrition, and sarcopenia alone or co-existence of locomotive syndrome, malnutrition, and sarcopenia and determine cut-off values of phase angle of these syndromes.

Methods: Overall, 1,063 community-dwelling women aged ≥ 60 years underwent medical checkup. We assessed them for phase angle, locomotive syndrome risk tests, Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form, grip strength, comfortable gait speed, and skeletal muscle mass index. Participants were classified into eight groups: robust; locomotive syndrome alone; malnutrition alone; sarcopenia alone; malnutrition and sarcopenia; locomotive syndrome and sarcopenia; locomotive syndrome and malnutrition; and co-existence of all syndromes.

Results: The proportions of locomotive syndrome, sarcopenia, and malnutrition were 62.1%, 3.6%, and 36.9%, respectively. Since the prevalence of sarcopenia alone and malnutrition and sarcopenia were 0.0%, these groups were excluded from the analysis. Multinomial logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age and body mass index, showed the relationship between phase angle and locomotive syndrome, malnutrition, locomotive syndrome and sarcopenia, locomotive syndrome and malnutrition, and coexistence of the three syndromes. The phase angles for predicting locomotive syndrome, malnutrition, locomotive syndrome and sarcopenia, locomotive syndrome and malnutrition, and co-existence of the three syndromes were 5.4°, 5.4°, 5.0°, 5.2°, and 4.9°, respectively, all of which showed high predictive accuracy, 0.845, 0.845, 0.917, 0.906, and 0.956, respectively.

Conclusion: The phase angle is a simple assessment of locomotive syndrome, malnutrition, and sarcopenia alone or co-existence, and it may be useful for the early detection of these syndromes in the community.