Prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with non alcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

Introduction: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the western world is associated with obesity and sarcopenia, thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate lumbar muscle mass in NAFLD patients and compare it to patients without NAFLD. Methods: A retrospective review of computed tomography (CT) of patients with biopsy proven NAFLD from 01/2012-01/2017 was conducted. The control (C) group was comprised of patients who had undergone abdominal CT for diagnosis of renal stone. For all subjects, CT image at the third lumbar vertebrae was examined to measure area of psoas and lumbar paraspinal muscles. Data were analyzed by the use of Chi square test and Student’s T-test, as appropriate. Results: 83 patients with NAFLD and 83 control subjects were identified of whom 44 and 41 were women, respectively, were included. Average body mass index was 30.3±5.6kg/m2 in NAFLD vs 30.6±6.6 in the control group. Patients with NAFLD had lower psoas and lumbar paraspinal muscle mass than those in the control group (p<0.001). Conclusion: NAFLD is associated with sarcopenia in the population of East Harlem, New York City. Further studies regarding the genetic predisposition to sarcopenia in this population is warranted.