IDOSOS QUILOMBOLAS: PREVALÊNCIA DE SARCOPENIA UTILIZANDO O ALGORITMO PROPOSTO PELO EUROPEAN WORKING GROUP ON SARCOPENIA IN OLDER PEOPLE

Sarcopenia is considered a geriatric syndrome. Currently, there is no agreed definition of sarcopenia, so it is still a challenge to establish the actual prevalence of sarcopenia in the elderly in different races / ethnicities, especially in elderly quilombolas. Objective: Identify sarcopenia in the elderly living in maroon settlement using the algorithm proposed by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. Patients and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with 70 participants (SD 65.58 ± 6.67 years) men and women living in the Quilombo communities called Malhadinha and Córrego Fundo, located in the city of Brejinho Nazaré-Tocantins-Brazil. For the diagnosis of sarcopenia we used the recommendations proposed by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. Muscle mass was analyzed by the Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and the handgrip strength by hand dynamometer. The physical performance was analyzed using the walking speed test. We used the SF-36 questionnaire to analyze the quality of life. Results: We identified a prevalence of sarcopenia of 10% in the sample. The sarcopenic individuals were classified as low handgrip strength. All individuals in the sample had adequate physical performance. Conclusions: We conclude that the identification of the prevalence of sarcopenia in the elderly maroons was high. The algorithm proposed by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People had clinical applicability in the study population. Descritores: Sarcopenia; Prevalence; Aged; African Continental Ancestry Group.