Prevalence and Risk Factors of Sarcopenia in Patients With Diabetes: A Meta-analysis

Abstract

Context: The prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with diabetes is 3 times higher than that in patients without diabetes and is associated with a poor prognosis.

Objective: To investigate the global pooled prevalence and risk factors of sarcopenia in patients with diabetes.

Data sources: Relevant studies published until November 30, 2020, were identified from the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, WanFang, CNKI, VIP, and CBM databases.

Study selection: Participants with age ≥ 18 years with clinically diagnosed diabetes. Sex and diabetes type were not restricted.

Data extraction: The data were extracted by 2 reviewers independently using a standard data collection form.

Data synthesis: The pooled prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with diabetes was 18% (95% CI, 16-20); subgroup analysis showed that sarcopenia was more prevalent in males than in females, as well as being more prevalent in Asia than in South America and Oceania. Age (odds ratio [OR], 1.10), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (OR = 1.16), visceral fat area (VFA) (OR = 1.03), diabetic nephropathy (OR = 2.54), duration of diabetes (OR = 1.06), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (OR = 1.33) were risk factors for sarcopenia in patients with diabetes.

Conclusions: Sarcopenia was more prevalent in patients with diabetes. Age, HbA1c, VFA, diabetic nephropathy, duration of diabetes, and hs-CRP were the probable risk factors. In the future, medical staff should not only pay attention to the early screening of sarcopenia in high-risk groups, but also provide information on its prevention.

Keywords: diabetes; meta; prevalence; risk factors; sarcopenia.