Spondyloarthritis and Sarcopenia: Prevalence of Probable Sarcopenia and its Impact on Disease Burden: The Saspar Study

AbstractTo evaluate the prevalence of probable, confirmed, and severe sarcopenia in spondyloarthritis (SpA), according to theEuropean Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2019 (EWGSOP2) definition. A total of 103 patients (51% women) with SpA, mean age 47.1  ± 13.7 years, were included and compared to 103 age- and sex-matched controls. Grip strength was measured by dynamometry. Body composition was assessed by whole-body densitometry. In SpA patients gait speed was measured by the 4-m-distance walk test and quality of life was evaluated with a sp ecific health-related questionnaire for sarcopenia (SaRQoL®). Twenty-two SpA patients (21%) versus 7 controls (7%) had a low grip strength, i.e., probable sarcopenia (p <  0.01), 15 SpA (15%) patients and 7 controls (7%) had low Skeletal Muscle mass Index (SMI) (ns), respectively, and 5 and 2% of SpA patients and controls had low grip strength and low SMI, i.e., confirmed sarcopenia (ns). All the sarcopenic SpA patients had a low gait speed, i.e., severe sarcopenia . Finally, probable sarcopenic SpA patients had significantly higher C-Reactive Protein (CRP,p <  0.001) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI score,p <  0.01), lower gait speed (p <  0.001), and SarQoL® score (p <  0.001) than SpA patients with normal grip strength. According to EWGSOP2 definition, the prevalence of probable sarcopenia was significantly higher in SpA patients compared to controls. ...
Source: Calcified Tissue International - Category: Orthopaedics Source Type: research