Sarcopenia, which is age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, is linked to a 2-fold risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with diabetes, according to researchers after they analysed 1514 adults (age 20 and older) with diabetes in the United States.
Of the study population, 196 (55.6% female) had low muscle mass. Study subjects with low muscle mass had an average age of 63.5 years and an average diabetes duration of 14.5 years. After more than 9 years of follow-up, the investigators observed 413 all-cause deaths, of which 147 were determined to be from CVD.
The results showed that low muscle mass was linked to a higher risk of all-cause and CVD mortality. Notably, participants with low muscle mass were 44% more likely to die of any cause and twice as likely to die of CVD as those with a normal muscle mass.
Low muscle mass was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality and CVD mortality. The participants with low muscle mass were 44% more likely to die of any cause during follow-up than those with normal muscle mass. They were also twice as likely to die from CVD as those with normal muscle mass.
The results were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking status, alcohol consumption, central obesity, history of cancer, hypertension (HTN), dyslipidemia (unhealthy levels of blood fats), past CVD events including heart attacks, duration of diabetes, microvascular complications and HbA1c.
Further analysis showed that low muscle mass was linked with all-cause mortality and CVD mortality, irrespective of HbA1c and microvascular complications. The association between low muscle mass and all-cause and CVD mortality was also independent of frailty, as defined by a frailty index made up of 46 variables, including memory problems, hospital stays and blood test results.
The study’s authors said that their results suggested that the increased risk of death in individuals with diabetes who have low muscle mass isn’t mediated or influenced by frailty, poor blood sugar control or microvascular complications but due to the loss of muscle itself.