Sarcopenia prevalence is high among hemodialysis patients, and quadriceps muscle ultrasound may detect suggests a new study published in the BMC Nephrology.
Sarcopenia is a common problem in hemodialysis (HD) patients, and it is diagnosed by low muscle mass, strength and/or low physical performance. Muscle ultrasound (US) is a non-invasive portable tool that might be used for the assessment of muscle mass. The current study aimed to investigate the concordance between muscle US and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in the diagnosis of sarcopenia in hemodialysis patients. This cross-sectional study included 41 hemodialysis patients. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP). The skeletal mass index was measured by BIA and the muscle strength was measured by handgrip strength. Muscle ultrasound was used to measure the cross-sectional area (CSA) and thickness of the quadriceps and biceps muscles. Results: The current study included 41 patients on hemodialysis (25 males), with a mean (SD) age of 44.18 (13.11) years and a median hemodialysis duration of 48 months. Sarcopenia was diagnosed in 58.5% of the patients. Patients with sarcopenia had significantly lower quadriceps muscle CSA than those without sarcopenia. The optimal cut-offs of quadriceps muscle cross-sectional area for both males and females for the diagnosis of sarcopenia were 2.96 and 2.92 cm2, respectively. Sarcopenia is prevalent among Egyptian hemodialysis patients. Muscle ultrasound on the quadriceps muscle cross-sectional area could be used for the diagnosis of sarcopenia in these patients.

Reference:
Nagy, E., Samaan, E., El-Gamal, M. et al. Concordance between muscle mass assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis and by muscle ultrasound: a cross-sectional study in a cohort of patients on chronic hemodialysis. BMC Nephrol 25, 49 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-024-03487-0
Keywords:
Sarcopenia, prevalence, hemodialysis patients, quadriceps, muscle ultrasound, detect, BMC Nephrology, Nagy, E., Samaan, E., El-Gamal, M, Chronic kidney disease