The association of living alone and social isolation with sarcopenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Living alone can cause social isolation and is correlated with multiple adverse health outcomes. Evidence about the association of living alone and social isolation with sarcopenia is limited. This meta-analysis aims to investigate the correlation between living alone, social isolation, and sarcopenia. According to the PRISMA guidelines, we systematically searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus for literature published up to June 30, 2023. We conducted reference checking to supplement the references. Two investigators independently screened the references for eligibility and assessed the quality of the references. We included references involving data on living alone, social isolation, and sarcopenia. Two investigators recorded study data for meta-analysis and study characteristics. Data regarding living alone and sarcopenia were available from 13 studies. Meta-analysis demonstrated that living alone is correlated with sarcopenia (odds ratio, 1.51; 95 % CI, 1.31–1.75; p < 0.001). The gender-stratified analysis demonstrated that women living alone are more likely to have sarcopenia (odds ratio, 1.81; 95 % CI, 1.32–2.48; p < 0.001) but not men (odds ratio, 1.24; 95 % CI, 0.56–2.74; p = 0.60). Data regarding social isolation and sarcopenia were available from five studies. Social isolation is also associated with sarcopenia (odds ratio, 1.70; 95 % CI, 1.51–1.92; p < 0.001). And subgroup analysis demonstrated that social isolation is a risk factor for sarcopenia (odds ratio, 1.79; 95 % CI, 1.55–2.06; p < 0.001). This meta-analysis revealed the association of living alone and social isolation with sarcopenia. Gender differences can help to screen high-risk groups of sarcopenia and reduce healthcare expenditures. As a further development of living alone, social isolation may play a more important role in sarcopenia than living alone.