Table 2.
Comparison of clinical characteristics between patients with and without sarcopenia
| Variable | Sarcopenia | Non-sarcopenia | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients, n (%) | 27 (23.1) | 90 (76.9) | |
| Female, n (%) | 24 (88.9) | 72 (80.0) | 0.291 |
| Age (years) | 73.0 (65.0–77.0) | 66.0 (56.0–71.2) | 0.006 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 20.1 (18.1–22.2) | 22.8 (20.9–25.9) | <0.001 |
| Liver cirrhosis, n (%) | 6 (22.2) | 5 (5.6) | 0.009 |
| Age at diagnosis (years) | 67.0 (53.0–74.0) | 58.5 (50.0–67.0) | 0.010 |
| Duration of disease (years) | 3.0 (1.0–8.0) | 2.0 (1.0–7.0) | 0.929 |
| AST (IU/L) | 24 (22–33) | 25 (20–30) | 0.798 |
| ALT (IU/L) | 18 (14–21) | 20 (14–26) | 0.227 |
| ALP (IU/L) | 285 (223–337) | 282 (226–351) | 0.951 |
| GGT (IU/L) | 35 (22–68) | 41 (26–67) | 0.477 |
| Total bilirubin (mg/dl) | 0.5 (0.4–0.7) | 0.6 (0.5–0.8) | 0.100 |
| Albumin (g/dl) | 3.9 (3.6–4.2) | 4.2 (3.9–4.3) | 0.014 |
| M2BPGi (C.O.I) | 1.27 (0.73–1.83) | 0.82 (0.56–1.17) | 0.001 |
| IGF-1 (ng/ml) | 72 (47–105) | 93 (67–116) | 0.025 |
| BCAA (μmol/L) | 375 (311–463) | 433 (379–484) | 0.058 |
| TRACP-5b (mU/dl) | 392 (236–480) | 342 (245–431) | 0.467 |
| P1NP (ng/ml) | 41 (32–72) | 47 (35–58) | 0.796 |
| SMI (kg/m2) | 5.12 (4.84–5.30) | 6.37 (5.97–7.07) | <0.001 |
| Handgrip strength (kg) | 16.7 (14.1–17.4) | 23.5 (21.5–26.9) | <0.001 |
| Lumbar spine BMD (g/cm2) | 0.86 (0.75–0.96) | 1.09 (0.94–1.22) | 0.001 |
| Femoral neck BMD (g/cm2) | 0.67 (0.62–0.76) | 0.78 (0.70–0.89) | 0.001 |
| Total hip BMD (g/cm2) | 0.72 (0.65–0.78) | 0.84 (0.76–0.92) | 0.001 |
| Osteoporosis, n (%) | 18 (66.7) | 15 (16.7) | <0.001 |
| Vertebral fracture, n (%) | 13 (48.1) | 8 (8.9) | <0.001 |
Values are shown as median (interquartile range) or number (percentage). Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-squared test or the Mann–Whitney U test, as appropriate.
ALP, alkaline phosphatase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; BCAA, branched-chain amino acids; BMD, bone mineral density; GGT, gamma-glutamyltransferase; IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor 1; M2BPGi, Mac-2 binding protein glycosylation isomer; P1NP, procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide; SMI, skeletal muscle mass index; TRACP-5b, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b.