Sarcopenia prognosis using dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry and prediction model in older patients with heart failure

Abstract

Abstract Aims This study aimed to determine whether there is a difference in the prognostic value of sarcopenia diagnosed using dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and that predicted by prediction equations in older patients with heart failure (HF). Methods and results We included 269 patients (aged ≥65 years) who were hospitalized for HF. We used two appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) prediction equations: (i) Anthropometric‐ASM, including age, sex, height, and weight, and (ii) Predicted‐ASM, including sex, weight, calf circumference, and mid‐arm circumference. ASM index (ASMI) was calculated by dividing the sum of the ASM in the extremities by the height squared (kg/m2). The cut‐off values proposed by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 were used to define low ASMI. The prognostic endpoint was all‐cause mortality. The median age of the cohort was 83 years [interquartile range (IQR): 75–87], and 135 patients (50.2%) were men. Sarcopenia diagnosed according to DEXA, Anthropometric measurements, and Predicted‐ASM was observed in 134 (49.8%), 171 (63.6%), and 157 (58.4%) patients, respectively. During the median follow‐up period of 690 days (IQR: 459–730), 54 patients (19.9%) died. DEXA‐sarcopenia [hazard ratio (HR), 2.33; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.26–4.31; P = 0.007] was associated with all‐cause mortality after adjusting for pre‐existing risk factors, whereas Predicted‐sarcopenia (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 0.87–3.25; P = 0.123) and Anthropometric‐sarcopenia (HR, 1.64; 95% CI, 0.86–3.12; P = 0.132) were not. Conclusions Sarcopenia diagnosed using DEXA was associated with poor prognosis in older patients with HF; however, the prediction equations were not.

Keywords

• Appendicular skeletal muscle mass
• Dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry
• Heart failure
• Prognosis
• Sarcopenia
• Older adults