Body Composition in Community-Dwelling Older Adults Before and After SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Longitudinal Prospective Study in a Rural Village Struck by the Pandemic

• Published in: Journal of primary care & community health 2021, Vol.12, p.21501327211047781-21501327211047781
• Main Authors: Del Brutto, Oscar H., Mera, Robertino M., Rumbea, Denisse A., Pérez, Pedro, Recalde, Bettsy Y., Sedler, Mark J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antibodies; Body composition; Community; Diet; Grip strength; Habits; Infections; Older people; Original Research; Pandemics; Physical activity; Remote areas; Sarcopenia; Serology; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Susceptibility
• ISSN: 2150-1319; 2150-1327
• DOI: 10.1177/21501327211047781

Background: Information on the body composition of inhabitants of remote communities during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is limited. Using a longitudinal population-based study design, we assessed the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and changes in body composition. Methods: Community-dwelling older adults living in a rural Ecuadorian village received body composition determinations before and 1 year after the pandemic as well as serological tests for detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The independent association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and abnormalities in body composition at follow-up was assessed by fitting linear mixed models for longitudinal data. Results: Of 327 enrolled individuals, 277 (85%) received baseline and follow-up body composition determinations, and 175 (63%) of them became SARS-CoV-2 seropositive. Overall, diet and physical activity deteriorated during the follow-up. Multivariate random-effects generalized least squares regression models that included the impact of time and seropositivity on follow-up body composition, showed that neither variable contributed to a worsening in body composition. Multivariate logistic regression models disclosed that the serological status at follow-up cannot be predicted by differences in body composition and other baseline covariates. Conclusions: Study results suggest no increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection among older adults with abnormal body composition and no significant changes as a result of worse physical activity and dietary habits or seropositivity during the length of the study. Together with a previous study in the same population that showed decrease in hand-grip strength after SARS-CoV-2, results confirm that dynapenia (and not sarcopenia) is associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in older adults.