PREVALENCE OF SARCOPENIA AND WHOLE-BODY COMPOSITION IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

MARÍA L BRANCE ; SILVANA DI GREGORIO ; BERNARDO A PONS-ESTEL ; NORBERTO J QUAGLIATO ; MARISA JORFEN ; GUILLERMO BERBOTTO ; NOEL CORTESE ; JUAN C RAGGIO ; MARIANO PALATNIK ; IGNACIO CHAVERO ; JUAN SOLDANO ; ROMULO WONG ; LUIS DEL RIO ; ARIEL SÁNCHEZ ; LUCAS R BRUN

JCR - JOURNAL OF CLINICAL RHEUMATOLOGY

LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS

Lugar: Philadelphia; Año: 2021 vol. 27 p. 153 - 160

1076-1608

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease which leads to joint deformity and disability and also muscle involvement. Sarcopenia is characterized by a progressive age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. Aim: to evaluate the prevalence of sarcopenia and possible contributing factors associated with sarcopenia in RA patients. Patients and methods: Adult RA patients (n=105) of both gender and 100 subjects as control group (CG) matched by age, gender and BMI were included in this cross-sectional study. Whole-body composition was measured by DXA. Sarcopenia was defined according to EWGSOP2 as low muscle strength (handgrip) and low muscle mass (appendicular skeletal muscle mass -ASM- index by DXA). The association between sarcopenia and associated factors was evaluated using logistic regression analyses. Results: Significantly lower percentage of lean mass and ASM were found in the whole RA group compared to controls. However, lower lean parameters (total lean mass, percentage of lean mass and ASM) were observed only in female. The ASM index was significantly lower in RA female (RA 31.0% vs CG 11.9%) without differences in male. On the other hand, fat mass and most adipose indices were significantly higher in both, female and male with RA. Female RA patients had higher prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity. The time of corticoids use, cumulative corticosteroid dose, previous fragility fractures, total lean mass and ASM were associated with sarcopenia. Conclusions: Higher prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity were found in female RA patients. Sarcopenia was found in younger RA female compared to healthy control subjects. Sarcopenia was associated with previous fragility fractures in female patients with RA.