New Approach to Sarcopenia Diagnosis: Physical Test for Sarcopenia Diagnosis and Its Comparison with Other Validated Tests: cross-sectional study

Background Sarcopenia is a disease characterized by the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength associated with aging. There are marked differences in sarcopenia prevalence depending on the diagnostic algorithm used. It has been demonstrated that muscle power is the most relevant predictor for determining functional limitations in older adults. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the performance of the SARC-Test for sarcopenia diagnosis and analyze its correlation with other validated tests. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on a population residing in elderly care centers. All physical tests included in the diagnostic algorithm developed by EWGSOP2 were performed. Additionally, the SARC-Test was conducted, measuring the speed at which the subject stood up from a chair. Physiological variables such as heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and oxygen saturation (SpO2) were also monitored. Results The sarcopenia group showed significantly lower physical performance than the non-sarcopenia group in all tests. At a physiological level, no significant differences were found between groups in the 5-STST, Handgrip, and TUG. Additionally, the SARC-Test showed a strong correlation with Handgrip (r = 0.800), 5-STST (r=-0.719) and TUG (r=-0.523), and a moderate correlation with Gait Speed (r=-0.438) in sarcopenia group. Conclusions The SARC-Test could be a safe, accurate, and low-impact tool for sarcopenia assessment.