OBJECTIVES:The ability of the Timed Up and Go test to predict sarcopenia has not been evaluated previously. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the Timed Up and Go test for predicting sarcopenia in elderly hospitalized patients.METHODS:This cross-sectional study analyzed 68 elderly patients (≥60 years of age) in a private hospital in the city of Salvador-BA, Brazil, between the 1st and 5th day of hospitalization. The predictive variable was the Timed Up and Go test score, and the outcome of interest was the presence of sarcopenia (reduced muscle mass associated with a reduction in handgrip strength and/or weak physical performance in a 6-m gait-speed test). After the descriptive data analyses, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of a test using the predictive variable to predict the presence of sarcopenia were calculated.RESULTS:In total, 68 elderly individuals, with a mean age 70.4±7.7 years, were evaluated. The subjects had a Charlson Comorbidity Index score of 5.35±1.97. Most (64.7%) of the subjects had a clinical admission profile; the main reasons for hospitalization were cardiovascular disorders (22.1%), pneumonia (19.1%) and abdominal disorders (10.2%). The frequency of sarcopenia in the sample was 22.1%, and the mean length of time spent performing the Timed Up and Go test was 10.02±5.38 s. A time longer than or equal to a cutoff of 10.85 s on the Timed Up and Go test predicted sarcopenia with a sensitivity of 67% and a specificity of 88.7%. The accuracy of this cutoff for the Timed Up and Go test was good (0.80; IC=0.66-0.94; p=0.002).CONCLUSION:The Timed Up and Go test was shown to be a predictor of sarcopenia in elderly hospitalized patients.

Objective:The gait speed test (GST) is a physical test that can predict falls and aid in the diagnosis of sarcopenia in the elderly. However, to our knowledge, there have been no studies evaluating its reproducibility in hospitalized elderly patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and reproducibility of the six-meter GST (6GST) in hospitalized elderly patients. Methods: This repeated measures study involved hospitalized elderly patients (≥ 60 years of age) who underwent the 6GST by the fifth day of hospitalization, were able to walk without assistance, and presented no signs of dyspnea or pain that would prevent them from performing the test. The 6GST was performed three times in sequence, with a rest period between each test, in a level corridor. Gait speed was measured in meters/second. Reproducibility was assessed by comparing the means, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Bland-Altman plots. Results: We evaluated 110 elderly patients in a total of 330 tests. All participants completed all of the tests. The comparisons between the speeds obtained during the three tests showed high ICCs and a low mean bias (Bland-Altman plots). The correlation and accuracy were greatest when the mean maximum speed was compared with that obtained in the third test (1.26 ± 0.44 m/s vs. 1.22 ± 0.44 m/s; ICC = 0.99; p = 0.001; mean bias = 0.04; and limits of agreement = −0.27 to 0.15). Conclusions: The 6GST was proven to be safe and to have good reproducibility in this sample of hospitalized elderly patients. The third measurement seems to correspond to the maximum speed, since the first two measurements underestimated the actual performance.

Introdução: Testes físicos seguros e confiáveis são importantes para rastrear risco de queda em idosos, entretanto, não existem estudos que tenham avaliado a segurança e a confiabilidade do teste Timed Up and Go (TUG) em idosos hospitalizados. Objetivos: Avaliar a segurança e reprodutibilidade do TUG em idosos hospitalizados. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo transversal no qual foram coletadas três aferições do TUG para cada idoso, sendo considerado o melhor desempenho em segundos (s). Outras variáveis coletadas foram função cognitiva (MEEM), índice de comorbidades de Charlson, perfil admissional (clínico ou cirúrgico), relato de quedas no último ano e IMC. Para avaliar a confiabilidade relativa utilizou-se o coeficiente de correlação intraclasse (CCI) e para a confiabilidade absoluta, a análise de Bland-Altman. Resultados: Foram incluídos 68 idosos com média de idade de 70,4 ± 7,7 anos, índice de Charlson 5,4 ± 2,0 e predomínio do perfil clínico (64,7%). Nenhum dos 204 testes foi interrompido pelos critérios estabelecidos. Houve redução gradativa entre a primeira e a terceira aferição (1a = 11,6 ± 6,54; 2a = 10,7 ± 6,22 e 3a = 10,3 ± 5,54; p = 0,001) e elevado CCI (1a e 2a: CCI = 0,98; 1a e 3a: CCI = 0,98; 2a e 3a: CCI = 0,98; p = 0,001), sendo que a maior correlação com o melhor desempenho foi associada a 3a aferição (CCI = 0,99; p = 0,001). Identificou-se que os menores viés (0,29 s) e limites de concordância (-1,1 a 1,68 s) ocorreram também entre a terceira aferição e a de melhor desempenho. A medida de erro do método para avaliação da variabilidade foi 0,5 s e a alteração clinicamente significante 3,4 s. Conclusão: O TUG foi um instrumento seguro e com boa reprodutibilidade para mensuração do desempenho físico em idosos hospitalizados.Descritores: idoso; reprodutibilidade dos testes; medidas de segurança; hospitais. 70.4 ± 7.7 years, Charlson index 5.4 ± 2.0 and prevalence of clinical profile (64.7%). None of the 204 tests was interrupted by the established criteria. There was a gradual reduction between the first and third measurement (1st = 11.6 ± 6.54; 2nd = 10.7 ± 6.22 and 3rd = 10.3 ± 5.54; p = 0.001) and high ICC (1st and 2nd: ICC = 0.98; 1st and 3rd: ICC = 0.98; 2nd and 3rd: ICC = 0.98; p = 0.001), and the highest correlation with the best performance was associated with third measurement (ICC = 0.99; p = 0.001 ABSTRACT Introduction: Safe and reliable physical tests are important to identify risk of falling in the elderly. However, there are no studies that have evaluated the safety and reliability of the test Timed Up and Go (TUG) in hospitalized elderly

Introduction: The variables mass and skeletal muscle strength contribute to the diagnosis of sarcopenia. Objective: To evaluate the association between strength and skeletal muscle mass in hospitalized elderly persons. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a private hospital in the city of Salvador in Bahia. The study included individuals ≥60 years during their first and fifth day of hospitalization and who were neither sedated nor had taken vasoactive drugs. Muscle mass was calculated using an anthropometric equation and force was measured through handgrip strength. Muscle weakness was identified as <20 kgf for women and <30 kgf for men, and reduced muscle mass was when the muscle mass index was ≤8.9 kg/m 2 for men and ≤6.37 kg/m 2 for women. The Pearson correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between mass and strength and the accuracy of using mass to predict strength. Results: In 110 patients included, there was a moderate correlation between mass and strength (R=0.691; p=0.001). However, the accuracy of using mass to predict muscle strength was low (accuracy=0.30; CI 95% = 0.19-0.41; p=0.001). The elderly patients with muscle weakness were older than those without muscle weakness, with no differences between the other variables. Conclusion: There is a linear relation between skeletal muscle mass and strength, but mass did not predict strength, which suggests that the two measures continue to perform independently.