SARC-F questionnaire and its predictive value for mortality risk in hospitalized younger adults: A retrospective study.

Background: Sarcopenia is a progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength that can also occur in younger adults. The validity of the SARC-F questionnaire in younger populations has not been extensively investigated.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using medical records of patients aged <65 years who were admitted to and discharged from a 900-bed university hospital between April 2019 and March 2021. The SARC-F score was documented upon admission. Associations between SARC-F scores and mortality were evaluated through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and Cox proportional hazards models.

Results:  A total of 12,743 patients were included (mean age, 47 [IQR 35-56] years; 56.3% women). During the observation period, mortality rates were 0.3%, 1.0%, 2.0%, and 3.3% for those aged 18-34, 34-46, 47-55, and 56-64 years, respectively. The ROC analysis showed that SARC-F scores at admission had a significant area under the ROC curve (0.721, IQR 0.678-0.764; P < 0.001) for predicting mortality. Using mortality during the observation period and in-hospital death as external criteria, the optimal SARC-F cutoff score was 1. Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed that a SARC-F score ≥1 was associated with significantly higher hazard ratios across all age groups (ranging from 3.77 to 9.47; all P < 0.01).

Conclusion: Higher SARC-F scores among younger adults were significantly associated with mortality. Early identification and intervention for individuals with SARC-F scores ≥1 may help mitigate risks related to sarcopenia in younger populations.