Determinants of Sarcopenia in Cirrhosis: A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis The Data

Depletion of skeletal muscle mass and, or muscle function (sarcopenia) is found among patients with liver cirrhosis. Sarcopenia in cirrhosis is associated with increased risk of clinical complications and mortality. An understanding of the factors associated with sarcopenia in cirrhosis is important to improve detection of patients at risk and to find potential targets for therapeutic intervention. We aimed to assess factors associated with sarcopenia in cirrhosis.MethodsSystematic review of studies of adults with liver cirrhosis where the presence of sarcopenia is an outcome and at least one potential risk factor for sarcopenia is reported. Relevant studies were retrieved from PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar from inception to June 2023.Results2508 studies were screened from which 39 studies were selected comprising 5654 individuals. On meta-analysis, factors associated with sarcopenia included age, sex, male testosterone status, BMI, MELD, aetiology of cirrhosis, serum concentrations of branched chain amino acids, serum creatinine, TNFα and IL-6 concentrations.<br>