Prevalence and risk factors of sarcopenia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

According to numerous studies, the number of people in older age groups is increasing every year, which makes it necessary to study age-related diseases. These include sarcopenia, while its general pathogenetic relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus is traced. The detection of sarcopenia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus contributes to an increase in the duration and quality of their life.
The aim of the study was to study the prevalence of presarcopenia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as to identify risk factors contributing to the prediction of sarcopenia in patients with type 2 diabetes. 
Material and methods. A single-stage, single-center, cross-sectional study of patients over 60 years of age who were hospitalized in the endocrinology department of Buyanova State Clinical Hospital due to decompensation of carbohydrate metabolism was conducted. During hospitalization, the SARC-F questionnaire was used to detect sarcopenia syndrome, patients who scored more than 4 points were included in the main stage of the study to detect sarcopenia according to the EWGSOP 2. Statistical processing was carried out using the SPSS Statistics 23 software package. 
Results. During the study period, 232 patients were examined, of which 147 (63% of the total number of patients, 35 men (24%), 112 women (76%), average age — 70 ± 8 years), presarcopenia was detected in 87 people (59% of the total number of patients). When comparing the control group (60 people, 41% of the number included in the study) and patients with presarcopenia, statistically significant differences in uric acid levels (p = 0.001), C-reactive protein (p = 0.001), ESR (p = 0.0001), and albumin (p = 0.001) were noted. Higher values of uric acid (OR 1.028; 95% CI 1.003–1.053), ESR (OR 1.366; 95% CI 1.051–1.776), C-reactive protein (OR 1.93; 95% CI 1.185– 3.145), and decreased serum albumin (OR 2.182; 95% CI 1.064–4.475) were independent risk factors for the development of presarcopenia in men and women with type 2 diabetes. The area under the ROC curve corresponding to the relationship of the combined risk factors: uric acid levels, C-reactive protein, albumin, ESR, and the probability of outcome P was 0.907 ± 0.025 with 95% CI 0.858–0.956. 
Conclusions. The study demonstrates that patients with diabetes mellitus have a high prevalence of the initial stage of sarcopenia, presaccumulation, when the body’s muscle reserves are not exhausted. Elevated values of ESR, C-reactive protein, uric acid levels, as well as lower albumin levels may be risk factors for sarcopenia. This circumstance should be taken into account in the management of patients with impaired carbohydrate metabolism in the older age group and timely correction should be carried out.

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