Risk factors for hypertension complicated with sarcopenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol (Preprint)

<sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> With the aging of society, hypertension (HTN) and sarcopenia (SAR) are common diseases among the elderly. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> The purpose of this study is to identify the risk factors of HTN complicated with SAR, and to provide a reference basis for primary prevention and early intervention of SAR in middle-aged and elderly patients with HTN. </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> This meta-analysis will include observational studies (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional) in humans in which the role of risk factors for hypertension complicated with sarcopenia was investigated. Pubmed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CNKI, Wangfang, Vip, and Sionmed will be searched in June, 2025 using a comprehensive search strategy and manual screening of references. Two reviewers will independently identify eligible studies and extract the data from the included studies. The quality of studies will be assessed by using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Fixed-effects models will be used to estimate pooled measures of association (where feasible). Meta-regression analyses will be conducted to explore the potential sources of heterogeneity. The Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement will be followed for reporting. </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> - </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> Deepening knowledge regarding the etiology hypertension complicated with sarcopenia and potential implications of risk factors in this disease is instrumental for prevention of this often-aging disease. This review will produce summarized current evidence on this topic. Systematic review registration: </sec> <sec> <title>CLINICALTRIAL</title> This systematic review protocol has been registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO, CRD420251074136) on 15 June 2025. </sec>