ABSTRACT

Prediabetes is one of the causes of sarcopenia. In addition to the absence of a definite formula to make the diagnosis of sarcopenia, there are also limitations in assessing the muscle mass in obese subjects. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of sarcopenia using different formulas in patients with prediabetes.

Participants with prediabetes who visited the obesity outpatient clinic between 2013 and 2015 were retrospectively evaluated. Muscle mass ratio (MMR) was calculated as the percentage of total muscle mass divided by body weight, whereas skeletal muscle index (SMI) was calculated as the total muscle mass divided by the square of the height. In addition, the percentage of appendicular lean mass (ALM) divided by body weight, the ratio of ALM divided by the square of the height, and the ratio of ALM divided by body mass index (BMI) were also evaluated.

A total of 524 patients with prediabetes were enrolled into the study. The prevalence of sarcopenia in female patients was 60 (18.13%) using MMR, whereas no sarcopenia was detected using ALM/BMI ratio, SMI, and ALM/height2. Sarcopenia was detected in 63 (32.64%) male patients using MMR, in 17 (8.81%) using ALM/BMI ratio, and in 1 (0.52%) using each of SMI and ALM/height2.

The prevalence of sarcopenia varies even using ALM/BMI ratio and MMR, which are recommended for evaluation of muscle mass particularly in obese patients with prediabetes. New formulas need to be developed for evaluation of muscle mass to prevent the concealment of sarcopenia in middle-aged patients with prediabetes.