Sarcopenia Is Associated with High Pulse Pressure in Older Women

Introduction. sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome associated with impairment of muscle function,metabolism,and cognition in older women. recent studies have shown a relationship between changes in muscle mass and the cardiovascular system. however,this relationship has not been fully elucidated. methods. one hundred and thirty community-dwelling brazilian older women (65.4 ± 6.3 years) were recruited to participate in this study. data on body composition (via bioelectrical impedance measurements),cardiovascular parameters (using an automatic and noninvasive monitor),and muscle function (using a 3-meter gait speed test) were measured. results. sarcopenic older women (n = 43) presented higher levels of pulse pressure (pp) (60.3 ± 2.6 mmhg) and lower muscle function (0.5 ± 0.0 m/s) compared with nonsarcopenic subjects (n = 87) (53.7 ± 1.5 mmhg; 0.9 ± 0.0 m/s) (p < 0.05). linear regression analysis demonstrated a significantly negative association between skeletal muscle index (smi) and pp levels (β =-226,p < 0.05). furthermore,sarcopenic older women showed a 3.1-fold increased risk of having higher pp levels compared with nonsarcopenic women (ic = 1.323-7.506) (p < 0.05). conclusion. sarcopenic older women showed lower muscle function and higher cardiovascular risk due to increased pp levels compared with nonsarcopenic subjects. © 2015 hélio josé coelho júnior et al.