Interventions for stroke-related sarcopenia in patients with stroke are needed, but the details of the target population are unclear. This systematic review aimed to identify trajectories of the prevalence of sarcopenia in the pre- and post-stroke periods and to determine the diagnostic criteria used in patients with stroke. We searched for literature in six databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, and Ichushi-web (in Japanese). We included 1627 studies in the primary screening, and 35 studies were finally included. Of the 35 studies, 32 (91.4%) included Asian patients, and the criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia was mainly used as the diagnostic criteria. Nineteen studies used muscle strength and muscle mass to diagnose sarcopenia, whereas a full assessment, including physical performance, was performed in five studies. The estimated prevalences of sarcopenia in pre-stroke, within 10 days of stroke, and from 10 days to 1 month after stroke were 15.8%, 29.5%, and 51.6%, respectively. Sarcopenia increased by approximately 15% from pre-stroke to 10 days, and increased by approximately 20% from 10 days to 1 month. Healthcare providers should note that the prevalence of sarcopenia increases during the acute phase in patients with stroke.

Determining energy requirements are an important component of nutritional support for patients with malnutrition; however, the validity of prediction equations for resting energy expenditure (REE) is disputed in older hospitalized patients. We aimed to assess the validity of these equations in older hospitalized patients in Japan. This was a single-center, cross-sectional study of 100 patients aged ≥70 years, hospitalized between January 2020 and December 2021. REE was measured using an indirect calorimeter and was compared to the predicted values calculated from five REE prediction equations. The mean (95% confidence interval) measured REE was 968.1 (931.0, 1005.3) kcal/day, and the mean predicted REE was higher for the FAO/WHO/UNU (1014.3 [987.1, 1041.6] kcal/day, p = 0.164) and Schofield (1066.0 [1045.8, 1086.2] kcal/day, p < 0.001) equations and lower for the Harris-Benedict (898.6 [873.1, 924.1] kcal/day, p = 0.011), Ganpule (830.1 [790.3, 869.9] kcal/day, p < 0.001), and body weight (kg) × 20 (857.7 [821.9, 893.5] kcal/day, p < 0.001) equations. In the age group analysis, none of the predicted values were within a 10% error for more than 80% of patients aged 70–89 years and ≥90 years. The five REE prediction equations did not provide accurate estimates. Validated REE prediction equations need to be developed for older hospitalized patients.