ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the risk factors of sarcopenia in liver cirrhosis and construct a diagnosis model for sarcopenia in cirrhosis.Methods:73 patients with liver cirrhosis hospitalized in Department of Gastroenterology of Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital between June 2021 and June 2022 were included. Common measurements in liver cirrhosis and abdominal CT scans of all patients were collected. The cross-sectional area of skeletal muscle at L3 level was calculated by sliceomatic and the skeletal muscle index (SMI) was subsequently obtained by height standardization. The patients were divided into sarcopenia group and non-sarcopenia group using Asian cut-off per European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People-2nd meeting (EWGSOP2) criteria. Risk factors related to sarcopenia in cirrhosis were analyzed and a subsequent diagnosis model was established.Results:among the cirrhotic patients included in the study, the prevalence of sarcopenia was 65.75% (48/73), 47.73% (21/44) in males and 93.10% (27/29) in females, respectively. There were significant differences in age, sex, BMI, liver function grade per Child Pugh classification, etiology, ferritin level, prothrombin time and hemoglobin level between sarcopenia and non-sarcopenia groups (P < 0.05). Age, liver function, sex and ferritin level were closely related to the occurrence of sarcopenia in cirrhosis. A diagnostic model was developed based on these 4 indexes and the area under curve reached up to 95.7%.Conclusion:≥ 60 years old, female, Child-Pugh C grade and ferritin < 29.60 μg/L are independent risk factors for sarcopenia in cirrhosis and the model with these indexes shows good diagnostic value for sarcopenia in cirrhosis.