Low Grip Strength and Muscle Mass Increase the Prevalence of Osteopenia and Osteoporosis in Elderly Women.

The risk of developing low muscle strength and muscle mass is affected by aging, osteopenia, and osteoporosis and increases with age. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and cutoff values for osteoporosis and osteopenia according to the level of grip strength and muscle mass associated with sarcopenia. A cross-sectional study was conducted, and data from 734 women aged from 60 to 79 years old who visited the healthcare center from 2016 to 2019 were analyzed. Bone mineral density was measured on the lumbar spine from 1-4 using dual X-ray absorptiometry. Osteopenia and osteoporosis were classified on the basis of a T-score ranging from -1.0 to -2.4 and under -2.5, respectively. The diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia were a grip strength of <18 kg and muscle mass of <5.7 kg/m2 according to the Asian Working Group of Sarcopenia. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the odds ratio, and the receiver operating characteristic curve was applied for the cutoff values. There were 351 (47.8%) patients with osteopenia and 152 (20.7%) patients with osteoporosis. The prevalence of osteopenia increased 1.593 times in the lowest grip strength group and 1.810 times in the lowest muscle mass group (p < 0.05). For osteoporosis, the lowest grip strength increased 2.512 times and the lowest muscle mass increased 2.875 times, compared to the highest grip strength group. In the sarcopenia group, osteopenia increased 2.451 times and osteoporosis increased 3.137 times, compared to the non-sarcopenia group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia was increased in elderly women with low grip strength and muscle mass.