CLINICAL-FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SARCOPENIA IN MIDDLE-AGED PATIENTS WITH COMPENSATED LIVER CIRRHOSIS

Background. Sarcopenia is one of the most common and prognostically significant complications of liver cirrhosis, yet a comprehensive clinical-functional characterization of muscle status in middle-aged patients with com­pensated cirrhosis remains insufficiently systematized.

Objective. To evaluate clinical-demographic features and baseline muscle mass, muscle strength, and phys­ical performance in middle-aged patients with compensated liver cirrhosis complicated by sarcopenia.

Materials and Methods. Ninety middle-aged patients (45–59 years) with compensated liver cirrhosis compli­cated by sarcopenia and 40 apparently healthy individuals (control group) were examined. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to EWGSOP2 (2019) criteria using bioelectrical impedance analysis (InBody 770S), handgrip dynamometry, and the 6-minute walk test.

Results. Men predominated among the examined patients (60.0%); the male-to-female ratio was 1.5:1. Chronic hepatitis B was the predominant etiology of cirrhosis (75.6%). Compared with controls, cirrhosis patients showed a decreased appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (6.35±0.18 vs. 8.12±0.24 kg/m² in men; 5.02±0.15 vs. 6.47±0.21 kg/m² in women), reduced handgrip strength, phase angle, and 6-minute walk distance.

Conclusion. In middle-aged patients with compensated liver cirrhosis, sarcopenia is characterized by a com­bined decrease in quantitative (muscle mass, phase angle) and functional (handgrip strength, physical performance) parameters, supporting the need for their comprehensive assessment in clinical practice.