Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8510, Japan.
Nutrition Support Team, Niigata University Medical and Dental Hospital, Niigata 951-8510, Japan.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jan 31;22(3):1425. doi: 10.3390/ijms22031425.
Sarcopenia is characterized by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength that occurs with aging or in association with various diseases. The condition is prevalent worldwide and occurs more frequently in patients with chronic diseases owing to the intrinsic relationship of muscles with glucose, lipid, and protein metabolism. Liver cirrhosis is characterized by the progression of necro-inflammatory liver diseases, which leads to fibrosis, portal hypertension, and a catabolic state, which causes loss of muscle tissue. Sarcopenia is of significant concern in the state of liver cirrhosis because sarcopenia has been associated with higher mortality, increased hospital admissions, worse post-liver transplant outcomes, decreased quality of life, and increased risk for other complications associated with cirrhosis. Therefore, sarcopenia is also an important feature of liver cirrhosis, representing a negative prognostic factor and influencing mortality. An increased understanding of sarcopenia could lead to the development of novel therapeutic approaches that could help improve the cognitive impairment of cirrhotic patients; therefore, we present a review of the mechanisms and diagnosis of sarcopenia in liver disease and existing therapeutic approaches.
肌肉减少症的特征是随着年龄的增长或与各种疾病相关的骨骼肌质量和力量的进行性和全身性丧失。这种情况在全球范围内很普遍，并且在患有慢性疾病的患者中更为常见，因为肌肉与葡萄糖、脂质和蛋白质代谢之间存在内在关系。肝硬化的特征是进行性坏死性炎症性肝病，导致纤维化、门静脉高压和分解代谢状态，导致肌肉组织丧失。肌肉减少症在肝硬化状态下令人非常关注，因为肌肉减少症与更高的死亡率、更多的住院、更差的肝移植后结局、生活质量下降以及与肝硬化相关的其他并发症风险增加有关。因此，肌肉减少症也是肝硬化的一个重要特征，代表一个负面的预后因素并影响死亡率。对肌肉减少症的认识增加可能会导致开发新的治疗方法，这可能有助于改善肝硬化患者的认知障碍；因此，我们对肝脏疾病和现有治疗方法中肌肉减少症的机制和诊断进行了综述。
