Objective.

To ascertain the prevalence of sarcopenia and dynapenia in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, and to identify possible clinical and socio-demographic factors that might be associated with both syndromes.

Design.

Descriptive cross-sectional study.

Main measures.

We calculated and compared the prevalence of both dynapenia and sarcopenia in two randomly obtained samples, one comprising subjects with T2DM and another comprising non-diabetic subjects (n=211 each). The different association between sarcopenia and dynapenia, and socio-demographic and clinical variables relevant in T2DM was only analysed in the diabetic group. Using logistic regression, separate predictive models were constructed for sarcopenia and dynapenia, based on the results of the bivariate analysis.

Results.

While prevalence of sarcopenia was 8.5 % in diabetic subjects versus 5.2 % in nondiabetic subjects (non-significant difference), that of dynapenia was 39.3 % in diabetic subjects versus 18.0 % in non-diabetic subjects (p<0.001). The following variables were associated with both sarcopenia and dynapenia: age; high comorbidity; diabetic retinopathy; peripheral neuropathy; gait speed <1 m/s; and not being an active smoker. Insulin resistance and female gender were statistically significant only for sarcopenia. Ischaemic heart disease, heart failure and single or widowed marital status were exclusively associated with dynapenia. The multivariate analysis showed the following variables to be statistically significant: age, osteoporosis, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) test in the case of sarcopenia; and age, gonarthrosis, anaemia and gait speed <1 m/s in the case of dynapenia.

Conclusions.

T2DM patients showed a higher proportion of sarcopenia and dynapenia, being significant only the latter when compared with prevalences obtained in non-diabetic patients. Certain clinical and socio-demographic characteristics are associated with the presence of both syndromes, fact that may facilitate a better identification of these in diabetic patients controlled in Primary Care.

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