High Prevalence of Sarcopenia in HIV-Infected Individuals

Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome that leads to a loss of functionality and mortality.

We assessed the prevalence of sarcopenia in HIV-infected patients attended in our HIV Unit who had at least two DXA scans from 2000 to 2016 (1,720 DXA scans from 860 individuals). Sarcopenia was determinate according to appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASM) calculated as the ratio between skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) by DXA and height² (kg/m²). We stratified patients by gender and age (<40, 41-50, and >50 years) and according to the interval between DXAs (≤3, 3-7, 7-10, >10 years). The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 19.

Median (IQR) age was 52 (47; 57) years, and 76% were male. The median (IQR) time with HIV infection was 8 (3; 15) years. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 25.7% (95% CI, 22.8-28.7), more prevalent in those aged >50 years (27.8%). Stratifying by gender, 43% of women aged >50 years presented sarcopenia compared with 8.8% of men. The frequency of sarcopenia increased from 37.6% to 49.4% when interval between DXA was 7-10 years (n=109), significantly higher in women than in men (p=0.016). In addition to the traditional risk factors, time with HIV infection was associated with sarcopenia [RR 1.780 (95% CI, 1.314-2.411), p=0.001].

The prevalence and progression of sarcopenia in HIV-infected patients were high, mainly among women. Further studies are necessary to assess the best approaches to prevent this condition and its consequences.