Sarcopenic is associated with hypertension in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundBoth sarcopenia and handgrip strength have been observed association with hypertension. However, the results in different studies were inconsistent. In the current study, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to reveal the association between sarcopenia, handgrip strength, and hypertension in older adults.MethodsPubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases were searched from inception to 15 November, 2019for original research studies. The studies that addressed the association between sarcopenia, handgrip strength, and hypertension were included and summarized.Results19 studies met the inclusion criteria and a total of 21301 were included in the meta-analysis. Eight eligible studiesreported the odd ratios (ORs) of hypertension and the ORs ranged from 0.41 to 4.38. When pooled the ORs together, the summarized ORs was 1.29 [95% confidence interval (CI) =1.00-1.67]. The summarized ORs for the Asian group 1.50 (95% CI=1.35-1.67) was significantly higher than that of Caucasian group 1.08 (95% CI=0.39-2.97). Eleven studies provided the data on association between handgrip strength and hypertension. The overall ORs and 95% CI was 0.99 (95% CI=0.80-1.23), showing no association.ConclusionSarcopenia was associated with hypertension but no correlation was found between handgrip strength and hypertension in older adults.