The accuracy of screening tools for sarcopenia in older Chinese adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

ObjectiveThis review aimed to analyze and compare the accuracy of eight screening tools for sarcopenia in older Chinese adults according to different diagnostic criteria.MethodsThis systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang databases were searched between the publication of the first expert consensus on sarcopenia in 2010 and April 2023 using relevant MeSH terms. We evaluated the risk bias of the included studies using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) tool. The pooled result of sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and plot the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC) were calculated by using a bivariate random-effects model. The accuracies of sensitivity and specificity of the screening tools were compared using the Z-test.ResultsA total of 30 studies (23,193 participants) were included, except for calf circumference (CC), Ishii, and Finger-ring Test; Screening tools for sarcopenia in older Chinese adults have consistently shown low to moderate sensitivity and moderate to high specificity. Regional and sex differences affect the accuracy of the screening tools. In terms of sensitivity and specificity, the CC, Ishii, and Finger-ring Test were superior to the other screening tools.ConclusionThe Asian Working Group on Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 criteria are more appropriate for the diagnosis of sarcopenia in older Chinese adults. According to the AWGS 2019, CC and Ishii are recommended for sarcopenia screening in older Chinese adults.