Prevalence of sarcopenia in sample of Iraqi patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A hospital based study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Damage to the skeletal muscles, with a pronounced and accelerated decline in muscle quality have been described as a new complication of diabetic patients, so this study was conducted to assess the prevalence of sarcopenia in sample of Iraqi patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

METHODS

This was a case-control study conducted at Baghdad Teaching Hospital from September 2018 to April 2019. Participants were men and women aged between (40-70) years with type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnosed by an Internist/Endocrinologist doctor and on treatment for at least 6 months earlier. Sixty-five patients and 65 matched healthy controls in age, gender and body mass index were studied. Diagnosis of sarcopenia was done according to revised European consensus on the definition and diagnosis of sarcopenia 2018. Glycemic control was evaluated by mean of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients was 57.0 ± 7.7 years, and mean disease duration was 7.2 ± 6.0 years. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 10 (15.4%) in diabetic patients and 5 (7.7%) in controls while the prevalence of presarcopenia was 7 (10.8%) in diabetic patients and 3 (4.6%) in controls (p-value = 0.133).: The mean age of the patients was 57.0 ± 7.7 years, and mean disease duration was 7.2 ± 6.0 years. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 10 (15.4%) in diabetic patients and 5 (7.7%) in controls while the prevalence of presarcopenia was 7 (10.8%) in diabetic patients and 3 (4.6%) in controls (p-value = 0.133).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus had a higher prevalence of sarcopenia compared with healthy controls although statistically was not significant.