Phase angle as a marker for sarcopenia in cirrhosis

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Clinical Nutrition
• Biophysics

Background:

• Cirrhosis patients often experience nutritional disturbances, potentially leading to sarcopenia and poorer disease outcomes.
• Phase angle (PA) is a potential biomarker for sarcopenia, reflecting cellular integrity in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between low phase angle (PA) values and clinical/nutritional variables in cirrhosis patients.
• To emphasize the role of PA in identifying sarcopenia, a major nutritional complication in cirrhosis.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional and prospective study involving 122 male cirrhosis patients.
• Electrical bioimpedance was used to measure PA; sarcopenia was diagnosed using appendicular skeletal muscle mass index and handgrip strength.
• Logistic regression and ROC curve analysis were employed to assess correlations and predictive power.

Main Results:

• Sarcopenic patients exhibited significantly lower handgrip strength, PA, muscle mass, reactance, and albumin levels.
• Elevated resistance and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were observed in sarcopenic individuals.
• Phase angle values ≤5.05° demonstrated high sensitivity in predicting sarcopenia.

Conclusions:

• Low phase angle values in male cirrhosis patients are linked to sarcopenia and other clinical/nutritional changes, reflecting disease prognosis.
• A phase angle threshold of ≤5.05° serves as an effective predictive marker for sarcopenia in this patient group.