A sex-oriented analysis concerning skeletal muscle quantity and quality and associations to quality of life in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND

There is a paucity of data regarding sex-oriented analyses of connection between muscle quantity and quality and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), taking into account the pathophysiological differences of sarcopenia/myosteatosis in males versus females. We sought to investigate the associations between skeletal muscle index (SMI)-defined sarcopenia and intramuscular adipose tissue content (IMAC)-defined myosteatosis and EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D)-defined HRQoL in patients with decompensated cirrhosis concerning sex disparities.

METHODS

Totally, 382 patients were enrolled. The relationship between SMI/IMAC and HRQoL was evaluated with restricted cubic spline and Pearson correlation analyses. Furthermore, association between SMI or sarcopenia and EQ-5D utility index was determined by multiple linear regression, adjusted for age, BMI and concurrent disease severity.

RESULTS

The study population comprised evenly distributed male and female patients (190: 192), mean age 61.9 years. The prevalence of sarcopenia (40.5 versus 9.9%, P < 0.001) and SMI (48.8 versus 42.2 cm/m, P < 0.001) were significantly higher in males relative to females, with comparable myosteatosis prevalence (15.3 versus 16.7%, P = 0.708). Self-care, usual activities and pain within EQ-5D scale were more prevalent in the sarcopenia compared with non-sarcopenia groups across entire population and stratified by sex. The SMI values exhibited a significantly linear correlation with EQ-5D utility index in male but not female patients (P for non-linearity = 0.281). In multiple analysis, SMI or the presence of sarcopenia was both significantly associated with EQ-5D utility index. Subgroup analyses unveiled no discernible interactions between sarcopenia and EQ-5D utility index.

CONCLUSIONS

Muscle quantity measured by SMI was associated with declined HRQoL in males rather than females, whereas no associations were found regarding muscle quality measured by IMAC in both sexes. It is tempting to manage sarcopenia by increasing SMI levels as high as possible in hopes of achieving better health consequence. Our findings represent the importance of connecting CT-demarcated body composition abnormalities to meaningful patient-centered outcomes. Future targeted studies with sizable multi-center populations are warranted to clarify this causality, and in consequence develop optimized intervention against sarcopenia/myosteatosis or key determinants concerning impaired HRQoL.