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. 2025 Jul 2;30(1):560.
doi: 10.1186/s40001-025-02856-1.

Diagnostic value of different skeleton muscles in elderly COPD patients with sarcopenia

Jing Huang #  1 , Jierong Quan #  2 , Guanghong Zhou  3 , Lu Yu  3 , Qian Su  4 , Fei Guo #  5 , Huaicong Long  6
Affiliations

Diagnostic value of different skeleton muscles in elderly COPD patients with sarcopenia

Jing Huang et al. Eur J Med Res. .

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the value of different skeletal muscles in assessing muscle mass in elderly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with sarcopenia.

Patients and methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on a sample of elderly COPD patients with and without sarcopenia. Muscle mass measurements, including body mass index (BMI), weight, skeletal muscle index (SMI), 6-m walk test (6MWT), five-repetition sit-to-stand test (5STS), grip strength, calf circumference (CC), rectus abdominis thickness (RAT), rectus femoris cross-sectional area (RF-CSA), quadriceps femoris muscle thickness (QFMT), L1 muscle cross-sectional area (L1M CSA), and pectoralis muscle cross-sectional area (PM CSA). Statistical analyses were performed to assess the correlations between these muscle measurements and muscle mass, as well as the diagnostic value of low muscle mass (LMM) in elderly COPD patients.

Results: The results showed that there were significant differences in BMI, weight, SMI, gait speed, 5STS, grip strength, and CC between the LMM group and the normal muscle mass (NMM) group (P < 0.05). The ultrasound measurements showed that RAT, RF-CSA, and QFMT were significantly lower in the LMM group compared to the NMM group (P < 0.05). Similarly, the comparison of CT measurement parameters revealed that in the LMM group, both L1M CSA and PM CSA were significantly lower than those in the NMM group (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis revealed strong positive correlations between SMI and CC, L1M CSA, and RAT in the LMM group (p < 0.01), but no significant correlations were found with certain parameters. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the AUC values of PM CSA, QFMT, L1M CSA, RF-CSA and RAT in the diagnosis of LMM in elderly male COPD patients were 0.850, 0.830, 0.802, 0.722 and 0.684.

Conclusion: L1M CSA, RAT, RF-CSA, PM CSA, QFMT, and CC are positively correlated with muscle mass in elderly COPD patients with sarcopenia, and CC is a good screening index for predicting muscle mass. PM CSA and QFMT may be good indicators for the diagnosis of LMM in elderly male COPD patients with sarcopenia.

Keywords: Aging; COPD; Diagnosis; Muscle mass; Sarcopenia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital. The study abides by principles in the Declaration of Helsinki for the use of human samples. Signed informed consent was obtained from all patients. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Comparison of diaphragm parameters between the LMM and NMM groups. statistically significant (*P < 0.05). LMM low muscle mass, NMM normal muscle mass, Dq-DE diaphragm excursion during quiet breathing, DTF diaphragm thickening fraction, TdiFRC diaphragm thickness functional residual capacity, TdiTLC diaphragm thickness at total lung capacity, TdiRV diaphragm thickness at residual volume
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Comparison of peripheral muscle ultrasound parameters between the LMM and NMM groups. statistically significant (*P < 0.05). LMM low muscle mass, NMM normal muscle mass, RF-CSA rectus femoris cross-sectional area, QFMT quadriceps femoris muscle thickness, FMT femoral muscle thickness, RAT rectus abdominis thickness
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Analysis of muscle parameters measured by chest CT. statistically significant (*P < 0.05). LMM low muscle mass; NMM normal muscle mass, L1M CSA L1 muscle cross-sectional area, PM CSA pectoralis muscle cross-sectional area
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
ROC curve analysis of muscle parameters for diagnosing LMM in male COPD patients. L1M CSA L1 muscle cross-sectional area, PM CSA pectoralis muscle cross-sectional area, QFMT quadriceps femoris muscle thickness, RF-CSA rectus femoris cross-sectional area, RAT rectus abdominis thickness, AUC area under curve
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