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JFSF Vol 8, No 1, March 2023, p.32-37

doi: 10.22540/JFSF-08-032

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Original Article

Risk of sarcopenia, fear of COVID-19, anxiety, depression and physical activity levels: Associations across patients on hemodialysis within Greece

Maria Tsekoura1, Nikolaos Kalampakos1, Konstantinos Fousekis1, Konstantinos Mylonas1, Pavlos Angelopoulos1, Charalampos Matzaroglou1, Theodora Bita2, John Gliatis3, Elias Tsepis1, Evdokia Billis1

  1. Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Patras, Rio, Greece
  2. Filoxenia hemodialysis centre, Aigio, Greece
  3. Department of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Patras, Rio, Patra, Greece

Keywords: SARC-F, Fear of COVID-19, Sarcopenia risk, Anxiety, Depression

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this multicenter cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between SARC-F, fear of COVID 19, anxiety, depression and physical activity in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Methods: This study was conducted in 3 hemodialysis centers in Greece during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sarcopenia risk was assessed using the Greek version of SARC-F (≥4). Demographic and medical history were collected from the patient’s medical charts. The participants were also asked to fill the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) questionnaire. Results: A hundred and thirty-two (132) patients on hemodialysis (92 men, 70.75±13.14 years) were enrolled. Sarcopenia risk (utilizing the SARC-F) was found in 41.7% of patients on hemodialysis. The average duration of hemodialysis was 3.94±4.58 years. The mean score values for SARC-F, FCV-19S and HADS were 3.9±2.57, 21.08±5.32, and 15.02±6.69, respectively. The majority of patients were physically inactive. The SARC-F scores were strongly associated with age (r=56; p<0.001), HADS (r=0.55; p<0.001), levels of physical activity (r=0.5; p<0.001), but not with FCV-19S (r=0.27; p<0.001). Conclusion: A statistically significant relationship was recorded between sarcopenia risk and age, anxiety/depression and levels of physical inactivity in patients on hemodialysis. Future studies are necessary in order to evaluate the association of specific characteristics of patients.
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