Abstract
Background/AimsCrohn’s disease is associated with altered body composition, such as low muscle mass, which can affect clinical outcomes. However, there are few studies regarding the effect of sarcopenia on prognosis of Crohn’s disease. In this study, we evaluated the body composition at the initial diagnosis of Crohn’s disease and analyzed the clinical meaning of sarcopenia.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective review of medical records of patients who were diagnosed as Crohn’s disease and underwent computed tomography within 3 months after diagnosis. Sarcopenia was defined as an L3 skeletal muscle index (SMI) of < 49 cm2/m2 for men and < 31 cm2/m2 for women. Outcomes such as need for hospitalization, surgery, use of steroids, immunomodulators and biologics were analyzed.ResultsA total of 79 patients (male, 73.4%; mean age, 29.9 years) were included and 40 patients (51%) were diagnosed as sarcopenia. C-reactive protein (CRP) level was correlated with sarcopenia (P= 0.044). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) showed a tendency to decrease inversely with SMI (r = –0.320, P= 0.008) and hemoglobin and albumin tended to increase in proportion to SMI (hemoglobin: r = 0.271, P= 0.016 and albumin: r = 0.350, P= 0.002). However, there was no statistically significance in time-to-first-event analysis in aspects of sarcopenia.ConclusionsApproximately 50% of patients with newly diagnosed as Crohn’s disease had sarcopenia. CRP levels were higher in the sarcopenia group and SMI correlated with ESR, hemoglobin, and albumin. However, none of prognostic values were demonstrated.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.