Creatinine to cystatin C ratio, a biomarker of sarcopenia measures and falls risk in community-dwelling older women
Abstract Background The ratio of creatinine to cystatin C (Cr:Cyc) has been proposed as a biomarker of sarcopenia, as greater Cr:Cyc is typically associated with greater muscle mass. We examined the relationship between Cr:Cyc with individual sarcopenia measures, 5 y self-reported falls and 12 y fall-related hospitalizations in a prospective cohort study of 1,118 community-dwelling older women (mean age 75.2 ± 2.7 y). Methods Serum Cr:Cyc, hand grip strength and timed-up-and-go (TUG) performance were assessed at baseline (1998), while dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) derived ALM/Height (m) 2 was obtained in a subset of women at baseline and 1 year (n=334). Incident 5 y self-reported falls and 12-year falls-related hospitalizations were considered. Results In a multivariable-adjusted model, women with the lowest Cr:Cyc (Quartile [Q] 1) had 5% (1.0 kg) weaker grip strength, as well as 3.7% (0.22 kg/m 2) and 5.5% (0.031) lower ALM adjusted for height 2 or BMI, respectively, compared to women in Q4 (all p<0.05). 329 women reported an incident fall over 5 years, and 326 fall-related hospitalizations were recorded over 12 years. Women in Q1 of Cr:Cyc had a greater relative hazard for a fall over 5 years (HR 1.50 95%CI 1.11-2.01) and fall-related hospitalization over 12 years (HR 1.53 95%CI 1.13-2.07) compared to Q4 in the multivariable-adjusted model. Conclusion These findings support further investigation into the use of Cr:Cyc as a muscle biomarker to help clinicians identify individuals at risk of falls for early inclusion into evidence-based primary prevention programs targeting improvements to diet and exercise.