Increase the risk of senescence, sarcopenia, and dyspnea up to 9 times

Feb 04, 2025

data photo source=Pixabay

Korean researchers have published research results pointing to sarcopenia and senility as the main causes of breathing difficulties in the elderly. It is expected to be an important basis for preparing new medical guidelines related to breathing difficulties in the elderly in the future.

Professor Ahn Tae-joon of the Catholic University of Korea's Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital (Professor Lim Ji-hye of the Department of Gastroenterology, former Professor Jang Il-young of the Department of Old Age at Asan Medical Center) analyzed the effects of senility and sarcopenia on dyspnea through a large cohort study (a cohort of elderly Pyeongchang).

Dyspnea was defined using the modified Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnea scale and COPD assessment tool. Old age was evaluated based on the FI, Frailty phenotype, and FRAL questionnaire. Sarcopenia followed the Asian sarcopenia diagnostic guidelines for 2019.

The research team derived results that considered age, gender, chronic disease, and socioeconomic factors through logistic regression analysis. First, the group experiencing dyspnea had a significantly higher incidence of senescence (42.6% vs. 10.5%) and sarcopenia (38.3% vs. 26.9%). In the case of aging, the risk of dyspnea increased by at least 3.09 to up to 9.29 times, and the risk increased by about 2 times as the degree of sarcopenia increased. In addition, the elderly with dyspnea had a lower survival rate than those who did not.

Professor Ahn Tae-jun said, `The elderly who complain of difficulty breathing should be screened for senescence and sarcopenia as well as chronic respiratory diseases"We need to detect risk groups early and actively manage them."," he stressed.

Professor Ji-Hye Lim said "Sexuality is significant in that it affects not only digestive symptoms such as constipation but also respiratory symptoms, and management of senility and sarcopenia will be an essential task in geriatric care."

Professor Jang Il-young said, `If you are easily out of breath, it may be an early sign of accelerated aging, such as senility or sarcopenia, not just nytat, so you should optimize your overall health to prevent serial health deterioration"If you are out of breath earlier than before and there is no cause, you should suspect sarcopenia and senility."

The study was published in the December 2024 issue of the prestigious international journal Chest (IF=9.5) in the field of respiratory medicine.