ABSTRACT Sarcopenia is a syndrome characterized by the progressive and widespread loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, with a risk of adverse outcomes such as disability, reduced quality of life and death. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia and its associated factors in cardiac patients. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study in a public hospital in northeast Brazil, involving patients aged &#8805;60 years with coronary artery disease. Sarcopenia was determined by muscle mass (bioelectrical impedance analysis) and skeletal muscle mass index by a predictive equation, muscle strength (measured by grip strength) and physical performance (driving speed test). We tested relationships between sarcopenia and socioeconomic, demographic, clinical, nutritional and lifestyle variables. Results: We evaluated 148 patients, with an average age of 73.9±7.4years. We observed a prevalence of sarcopenia of 62.8%; of which 72% were classified as having severe sarcopenia. The variables associated with sarcopenia were male sex (p= 0.014), age >80 years (p= 0.005), and being malnourished according to BMI (p< 0.001), arm circumference (p= 0.006) and calf circumference (p= 0.045); the other variables were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The prevalence of sarcopenia in our sample was high. We found that sarcopenia related to sex, age, and nutritional status.