Association between anemia and sarcopenia among Chinese elderly: A cross-sectional study based on the China health and retirement longitudinal study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Evidence regarding the association between anemia and sarcopenia in the elderly population is limited and controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between anemia and sarcopenia in Chinese elderly. METHODS: The cross-sectional study used the third wave of data from the China Longitudinal Study of Health and Retirement (CHARLS). Participants were classified as sarcopenic versus non-sarcopenic according to the guidelines developed by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019. Meanwhile, participants were defined for anemia using World Health Organization criteria. Logistic regression models were conducted to assess the association between anemia and sarcopenia. Odds ratios (OR) were reported to indicate the strength of the association. RESULTS: A total of 5016 participants were included in the cross-sectional analysis. The overall prevalence of sarcopenia in this population was 18.3 %. After adjusting for all potential risk factors, anemia and sarcopenia were independently associated (OR = 1.43, 95 % CI 1.15-1.77, P = 0.001). In terms of subgroups, the association of anemia with sarcopenia was also significant in people over 71 years of age (OR = 1.93, 95 % CI 1.40-2.66, P < 0.001), women (OR = 1.48, 95 % CI 1.09-2,02, P = 0.012), rural residents (OR = 1.56, 95 % CI 1.24-1.97, P < 0.001), as well as in people with low education (OR = 1.50, 95 % CI 1.20-1.89, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Anemia is an independent risk factor for sarcopenia among elderly Chinese population.