Risk Factors for Locomotive Syndrome in Brazilian Older Adults: A Nested Case-Control Study

This study aimed to describe the risk factors for locomotive syndrome (LS) in Brazilian oldest old individuals. Study subjects were older adults aged ≥80 years who were cognitively healthy, independent for activities of daily living and had been followed since 2011 by a Brazilian cohort study entitled the Longevos Project. A nested case-control study evaluating demographic and clinical characteristics was conducted. Physical tests including the 5 times sit-to-stand, hand-grip strength, 4-m gait speed and two-step test were performed. The World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire short form (WHOQOL-BREF) and Numerical Rating Scale plus Verbal Rating Scale were applied to assess quality of life (QOL) and chronic pain (CP), respectively. LS was diagnosed using the Brazilian version of the 25-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale (GLFS-25-p), and sarcopenia by the SARC-F screening tool. The study sample included 52 participants, had a mean age of 89.3 years (±3.9 years) and was predominantly female (76.9%). Of this sample, 24 were diagnosed with LS and 28 were not. The prevalence of osteoporosis (20%), osteoarthritis (22%), depression (13%) and use of a walking device (14%) was higher in the LS group. Participants with LS had worse performance in physical tests. A multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the main risk factors for LS as osteoporosis (OR 10.80, 95%CI 1.08-108.48) and presence of moderate-to-severe chronic musculoskeletal pain (OR 8.92, 95%CI 1.25-63.89).