Ishii test for screening sarcopenia: performance in community-dwelling older adults

Abstract

Background Sarcopenia is associated with an increased likelihood of major adverse health outcomes. Therefore, screen- ing and early and timely identifcation of sarcopenia are essential. EWGSOP2 (European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People2) suggests Ishii screening test for formal-case fndings. We aimed to defne the diagnostic value of the Ishii screening test, which estimates the probability of sarcopenia using an equation-derived score based on three variables (age, grip strength, and calf circumference) in Turkish older adults. Methods Older adults aged> =60 who applied to a geriatric outpatient clinic were included in the study. The recommenda- tion of the EWGSOP2 for the defnition of sarcopenia was followed. The probability of sarcopenia was estimated by using a score chart of Ishii. Performance of Ishii screening test was analyzed by using sensitivity, specifcity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine the area under the curve (AUC). Results We included 1635 patients with the mean age of 74.7±7.0. The prevalence of probable sarcopenia was 11.9%. The prevalence of confrmed sarcopenia according to height2 was 0.7%. The prevalence of severe sarcopenia was 0.3% in total. Against diagnoses of probable sarcopenia, confrmed sarcopenia, and severe sarcopenia, the sensitivity values of the Ishii screening test were 84%, 100%, and 100%; the specifcity values were 86.1%, 83.9%, and 84.6%, respectively. PPV values were 44.9%, 4.2%, 2.1%; NPV were 97.6%, 100%, 100%, and the AUC values were 0.933, 0.961, and 0.959, respectively. Conclusion Our results suggest that the Ishii screening test is a successful screening and maybe a candidate diagnostic test for sarcopenia.