Ultrasound muscle geometry and malnutrition in community-dwelling older adults
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present research was to study whether muscle ultrasound (US) geometric parameters may be useful to detect malnutrition using Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria in community-dwelling older adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Seven University Hospitals and three Primary Care settings from Spain. PARTICIPANTS: 424 adults ≥70 years old from outpatient clinics. MEASUREMENTS: , subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness (SAT) in mm, total mid-thigh thickness (TTT) in mm, and pennation angle (PA) in grades. Nutritional data included the body mass index (BMI), and malnutrition assessed with the GLIM criteria. RESULTS: 367 participants presented valid data for the present study. US parameters presented significant correlation with BMI except for the PA, with TTT (r = 0.539; p < 0.001) and SAT (r = 0.453; p < 0.001) showing the higher figures. Every US parameter showed association with GLIM criteria, SAT (10.3 vs 14.9), QRFT (13.6 vs 15.3), QRFA (5.2 vs 5.9), TTT (34.7 vs 43.4), and PA (8.9 vs 10.4) for malnourished participants compared to those with normal nutritional status respectively (p < 0.001). TTT provided the best overall performance for malnutrition with an AUC 0.753 (95% CI 0.689-0.816; p < 0.001; overall model quality 0.69), with the best cutoff predictive value for both women and men of 41.4 mm and 35.4 mm respectively. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography may be a good tool to assess malnutrition in community-dwelling older adults, and total mid-thigh thickness may be the most promising single measurement.
Authors: Adriana Abizanda Saro, Paola Reinioso Párraga, Alfonso González Ramírez, Marta Neira Álvarez, Ester López Jiménez, Marisa Fernández González de la Riva, Cristina Alonso Bouzón, Victoriano Chavero Carrasco, Gema Montemayor Galán, Juan Rodríguez Solís, Rubén Alcantud Córcoles, Raquel Ramírez Martín, Carmen de Pablos Hernández, Fabricio Zambom-Ferraresi, Brian Dax Vásquez, Pedro Luis Sagüillo González, Ignacio Morón Merchante, Rafael García Molina, Rocío Menéndez Colino, Nicolás Martínez Velilla, Fernando Andrés Pretel, Elena Gómez Jiménez, Marta Sáez Blesa, Elisa Belén Cortés Zamora, Almudena Avendaño Céspedes, Pedro Abizanda
Institutions: Hospital Universitario La Paz, Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research, Complejo Hospitalario de Salamanca, Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete, Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), Navarrabiomed, Hospital Universitario de Getafe, Complejo Hospitalario de Cáceres, Hospital Universitario de Guadalajara, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, University of Castilla-La Mancha
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,450
Awards: G180679211, G4073871074
OpenAlex ID: W7204268121