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Retrospective Investigation of Interleukin 1 and 6 Gene Polymorphism among Elderly Patients with Sarcopenia in the Turkish Population

Author(s): Pinar Tosun Tasar

Introduction: Sarcopenia, one of the geriatric syndromes, is defined as generalized and progressive reduction in skeletal muscle mass accompanied by loss of muscle strength and/or function. There is a paucity of research in the Turkish population about the effects of interleukin 1 (IL-1) and IL-6 gene polymorphism on sarcopenia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between IL-1 and IL-6 gene polymorphism and sarcopenia in the older Turkish population. Materials and Methods: The study included elderly residents of nursing homes who were 65 years or older had resided in a nursing home. Data regarding the patients’ demographics, anthropometric measurements, muscle strength and physical performance were retrospectively examined. Sarcopenia screening was performed as specified in the European Union Geriatric Association’s 2010 report entitled “The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People”. Fat-free mass (FFM) was compared to individuals in the general population between 18 and 45 years old with no illnesses or medication use (534 men, 180 women). Nursing home residents were divided into two groups: with or without sarcopenia. A blood sample was taken from each participant. DNA was obtained from peripheral blood and Interleukin 1 and 6 Gene Polymorphism was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Results: A total of 149 elderly patients were included in the study. The overall rate of sarcopenia was determined as 42.2 %. There was no statistically significant difference in sarcopenia based on IL-6, IL-1B31, and IL-1B511 genotype distributions and allele frequencies. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that sarcopenia in Turkish population is not influenced by IL-1 and IL-6 polymorphism