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Aim: The effects of statins on muscle health are not well established. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of statin use on muscle strength and mass recovery in patients with sarcopenia after stroke. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included stroke patients with sarcopenia hospitalized between 2015 and 2021 at a post‐acute rehabilitation hospital. Sarcopenia was diagnosed using handgrip strength and skeletal muscle mass index measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis according to the 2019 criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. The study outcomes included handgrip strength and skeletal muscle mass index at hospital discharge. We used multivariate analyses to examine whether statin use was independently associated with the outcomes. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Of the 586 patients enrolled, 241 (mean age 79.3 years, 44.4% men) presented with sarcopenia and were included in the analysis. Statin use was observed in 61 (25.3%) patients. Statin use was independently negatively associated with handgrip strength at discharge (β = −0.095, P = 0.032), but not with skeletal muscle mass index at discharge (β = 0.019, P = 0.692). Conclusions: Statin use was negatively associated with muscle strength recovery, but not with muscle mass in patients with sarcopenia who underwent rehabilitation after stroke. To maximize outcomes, sufficient consideration is needed for statin use in these patients. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 676–683. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to calculate the cut‐off values for severe decline in muscle strength and skeletal muscle mass in post‐acute patients with sarcopenia and to determine their effect on activities of daily living. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients with sarcopenia consecutively admitted to a Japanese rehabilitation hospital between 2014 and 2016. Sarcopenia was diagnosed based on handgrip strength and skeletal muscle mass index. The outcome was the functional independence measure of motor function at discharge. Cut‐off values for predicting severe decline in handgrip strength and skeletal muscle mass index were calculated separately by sex. Values below the cut‐off were used to define severely low handgrip strength and severely low skeletal muscle mass index. Results: Overall, 451 patients (median age, 83 years; 61.4% women) were evaluated. The median functional independence measure of motor function score at discharge was 57. The optimal cut‐off values for severely low handgrip strength were 9.0 kg for women and 14.6 kg for men, and those for severely low skeletal muscle mass index were 4.6 kg/m2 for women and 5.6 kg/m2 for men. Severely low handgrip strength and skeletal muscle mass index were independently associated with the functional independence measure of motor function score at discharge (β = −0.178, P = 0.005). Conclusions: In post‐acute patients with sarcopenia, a severe decline in muscle strength and skeletal muscle mass is further negatively associated with an improvement in activities of daily living. The cut‐off values herein can serve as indicators to assess sarcopenia severity. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 493–499. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]