ABSTRACT
Aim: In this study, we evaluated the presence of sarcopenia
multidimensionally in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) using
clinical, ultrasonographic and biochemical parameters, and in this
respect, it was aimed to investigate the relation between OA and
sarcopenia and to identify the most practical, easily accessible and
inexpensive method for investigating sarcopenia.
Materials and methods : 102 patients with clinical and
radiological diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis and 33 healthy control
subjects were included in the study. A total of 135 subjects were
evaluated using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People
(EWGSOP) diagnostic criteria of sarcopenia. The first group consists of
(OA) patients with sarcopenia, the second group consist of OA patients
without sarcopenia and the third group is controls subjects. The
detailed musculoskeletal system examination of the patients included in
the study was carried out by a single physician, and complete blood
count, renal function tests, electrolytes, total protein, albumin, 25
(OH) vitamin D, serum leptin, serum adiponectin, PTH, TSH and vitamin
B12 values were recorded using the venous blood samples taken from the
study group.Dual-X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is used to measure Body
composition parameters and muscle mass measurements, isometric muscle
strength evaluations, handgrip strength and gait speeds for diagnosis of
sarcopenia. Short-form -36 (SF-36) The Nutritional Assessment-short form
(MNA), the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis
Index (WOMAC), the International Physical Assessment Questionnaire Short
Form (IPAQ-SF) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
(CES-D scale) were administered to every patient as outcome measures.
Results: The mean age of the group with sarcopenia was
statistically higher than the other two groups (p <0.001). The
weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, upper mid-arm
circumference, thigh and leg circumference of osteoarthritis (OA)
patients with sarcopenia were statistically lower than those of
non-sarcopenic and control group (p <0.01-p<0.001).
Body composition parameter results showed that sarcopenic patients had
statistically lower values as fat mass, lean body mass and skeletal
muscle index (p <0.001, p= 0.001, p <0.001,
respectively) than those of non-sarcopenic and control group and fat
mass index values (p = 0.012) are lower than the non-sarcopenic group.
With respect to sarcopenia, the effect of adiponectin and leptin levels
were not detected. It was determined that body composition values
measured with DEXA, ultrasonographic measures, isokinetic muscle
strength assessment, handgrip strength and gait speed had predictive
values for sarcopenia.
Conclusion: We found that patients with sarcopenic OA were
older, weaker, undernourished, and restricted in their level of physical
activity in the study in which we identified sarcopenia as approximately
12% in patients with osteoarthritis. Among the methods of determining
sarcopenia, ultrasound becomes prominent with its practical, cheap and
easily accessible features. We think that our results will increase the
awareness of the presence of sarcopenia in OA patients.