External validation of CLI Frailty Index and assessment of predictive value of modified CLI Frailty Index for patients with critical limb ischemia undergoing infrainguinal revascularization

Objectives

CLI Frailty is a useful diagnostic criterion of frailty in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). It is important to evaluate not only comorbidities but also frailty in decision making to select the type of treatment for CLI patients. The purposes of our study were to externally validate the CLI Frailty Index and to evaluate the modified CLI Frailty Index by measurement of skeletal muscle mass using computed tomography.

Methods

Patients who underwent preoperative computed tomography examination and infrainguinal revascularization between 2002 and 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. A patient was defined as CLI Frailty (+), if two or more of the following criteria were present: low Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), low skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) evaluated by prediction equations, and non-ambulatory status. For the modified CLI Frailty Index, skeletal muscle area was measured by computed tomography instead of prediction equations.

Results

During the study period, 226 patients with CLI underwent revascularization; we included 127 patients and excluded 99 patients who were treated only with iliac revascularization or did not undergo CT scans. The overall survival at two years after revascularization was 83.6% for the CLI Frailty (−) group versus 63.2% for the CLI Frailty (+) group ( P = .02). The overall survival at two years after revascularization was 89.7% for the modified CLI Frailty (−) group versus 60.5% for the modified CLI Frailty (+) group ( P < .01). Multivariate analysis 1 including CLI Frailty revealed that hemodialysis (HR, 3.71; 95% CI, 1.58–8.83; P < .01), CLI Frailty (HR, 3.22; 95% CI, 1.35–7.47; P < .01) and cerebrovascular disease (HR, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.09–5.91; P = .03) were risk factors for overall survival two years after revascularization. In multivariate analysis 2 including modified CLI Frailty, modified CLI Frailty (HR, 5.92; 95% CI, 2.49–15.7; P < .01), hemodialysis (HR, 4.03; 95% CI, 1.65–10.0; P < .01) and diabetes mellitus (HR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.16–0.99; P = .05) were risk factors for overall survival two years after revascularization.

Conclusions

Both the CLI Frailty and the modified CLI Frailty Indexes were useful in predicting the two-year overall survival of patients with CLI after infrainguinal revascularization. Although the measurement of skeletal muscle mass using computed tomography may accurately predict two-year overall survival, SMI prediction is effective for patients with CLI who did not undergo preoperative CT.

Association of sarcopenic obesity predicted by anthropometric measurements and 24-y all-cause mortality in elderly men: The Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between anthropometric measurements of sarcopenic obesity and all-cause mortality.

METHODS

The study included 2309 Japanese-American men ages 71 to 93 y. Mortality data were available for up to 24 y of follow-up. Sarcopenic obesity defined by three patterns of obesity indexes (body mass index [BMI], percent body fat [%BF] and waist circumference [WC]) and skeletal muscle index estimated by anthropometric measurements.

RESULTS

Of the 2309 participants, 2210 deaths were reported during the mean follow-up period of 11.7 y. Risk for death was significantly increased with sarcopenia after adjusting for baseline age, lifestyle variables, hypertension, diabetes, and cognitive scores (hazard ratio [HR], 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-1.38). Risk for death was significantly decreased with obesity using WC and %BF to define obesity, but not BMI. Risk for death also was significantly increased in the sarcopenia group compared with the optimal group, regardless of which pattern of obesity indexes (BMI, %BF, and WC) was used. Risk for death was significantly increased in sarcopenic obesity defined by WC (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.02-1.38), borderline in the BMI-defined group, and not significant in the %BF-defined group.

CONCLUSION

All-cause mortality was increased in men with sarcopenic obesity defined by WC, but not BMI and %BF. Sarcopenia was a stronger predictor of all-cause mortality in this cohort >70 y of age. These results suggest that anthropometric definitions for sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity are clinically useful as a predictor of all-cause mortality.

Sarcopenia: Prevalence and associated factors based on different suggested definitions in community-dwelling older adults

The age-related loss of muscle mass and/or strength and performance, sarcopenia, has been associated with geriatric syndromes, morbidity and mortality. Although sarcopenia has been researched for many years, currently there is a lack of consensus on its definition. Some studies define sarcopenia as low muscle mass alone, whereas other studies have recently combined low muscle mass, strength and physical performance suggested by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People, as well as the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. The arbitrary use of various available sarcopenia definitions within the literature can cause discrepancies in the prevalence and associated risk factors. The application of population-specific cut-off values in any sample population can be problematic, particularly among different ethnicities. Using commonly used cut-off points to define sarcopenia, including solely muscle mass and combined definitions, on a community-dwelling elderly Japanese population, the prevalence of sarcopenia ranged from 2.5 to 28.0% in men and 2.3 to 11.7% in women, with muscle mass measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and 7.1-98.0% in men and 19.8-88.0% in women measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Body mass index was the most prominent related factor for sarcopenia across the definitions in this Japanese sample. However, other associated hematological and chronic condition factors varied depending on the definition.

Physical inactivity and insufficient dietary intake are associated with the frequency of sarcopenia in patients with compensated viral liver cirrhosis

AIM

The association between sarcopenia and nutritional status is thought to be an important problem in patients with cirrhosis. In this study, we investigated whether nutritional factors were related to sarcopenia in patients with liver cirrhosis.

METHODS

The subjects were 50 patients with cirrhosis aged 41 years or older. In this study, the subjects were interviewed about their dietary habits, and their daily physical activity was surveyed using a pedometer. The skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) was calculated using the appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) measured by bioelectric impedance analysis. The handgrip strength was measured using a hand dynamometer. Sarcopenia was defined by SMI and handgrip strength. The patients with cirrhosis were categorized as normal group or sarcopenia group, and the two groups were compared. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression modeling were used to identify the relevance for sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis.

RESULTS

Height (odds ratio (OR), 5.336; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.063-26.784; P = 0.042), energy intake per ideal bodyweight (IBW) (OR, 5.882; 95% CI, 1.063-32.554; P = 0.042) and number of steps (OR, 4.767; 95% CI, 1.066-21.321; P = 0.041) were independent relevant factors for sarcopenia. Moreover, a significantly greater number of the patients in the sarcopenia group had low values for both parameters' energy intake per IBW and number of steps.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that walking 5000 or more steps per day and maintaining a total energy intake of 30 kcal/IBW may serve as a reference for lifestyle guidelines for compensated cirrhotic patients.