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Low Skeletal Muscle Density Assessed by Abdominal Computerized Tomography Predicts Outcome in Children With Chronic
Meiqiu Wang1, Zijian Chen2, Tingting Yu3
1Department of Pediatrics, Nanjing Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Insights
Children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) show reduced skeletal muscle density (SMD). Low SMD in pediatric CKD patients is linked to a higher risk of kidney failure, highlighting its importance for prognosis.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Pediatrics
- Body Composition Analysis
Background:
- Skeletal muscle loss and altered fat distribution predict poor outcomes in adult chronic kidney disease (CKD).
- The impact of body composition on prognosis in pediatric CKD is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between body composition, specifically skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, and clinical outcomes in children with CKD.
- To compare body composition between children with CKD and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective single-center study comparing body composition at the third lumbar spine (L3) using abdominal computerized tomography in children with CKD and healthy controls.
- Primary outcome defined as progression to hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, kidney transplantation, or death.
- Logistic regression, multivariate Cox regression, and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were used to assess associations and risk factors.
Main Results:
- Children with CKD exhibited lower skeletal muscle area, skeletal muscle density (SMD), and skeletal muscle index compared to healthy children.
- Visceral fat area and visceral fat index were significantly higher in children with CKD.
- Low SMD was independently associated with low triglyceride levels and was a significant predictor of poorer event-free survival.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric CKD is associated with significant skeletal muscle loss and decreased skeletal muscle density (SMD).
- Low skeletal muscle density (SMD) is a critical indicator of poor prognosis in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Objectives:
Skeletal muscle loss and abnormal fat distribution are predictors of poor clinical outcomes in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the relationship between body composition (muscle mass and adipose tissue) and prognosis in children with CKD has not been well elucidated.
Methods:
The retrospective single-center study enrolled children with CKD and healthy group who underwent an abdominal computerized tomography examination and compared the body composition of the third lumbar spine (L3) between the 2 groups. We defined the primary outcome as hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, kidney transplantation, or death. Logistic regression analysis was applied to assess the connection between low skeletal muscle density (SMD) and clinical and demographic variables. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk factors for progression to the primary outcome. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to compare the effect of different body composition on event-free survival rate.
Results:
Thirty-two patients with CKD [estimated glomerular filtration rate: 14.89 (8.86, 29.88) (mL/min/1.73 m2)] and 66 heathy subjects [estimated glomerular filtration rate: 135.72 (121.70, 161.29) (mL/min/1.73 m2)] were recruited in our study. From the assessment of body composition assessed by computerized tomography, skeletal muscle area, SMD, and skeletal muscle index in the CKD group was lower than those in the healthy group (P < .05). On the other hand, visceral fat area and visceral fat index in the CKD group were significantly higher than those in the healthy group (P < .05). In logistic regression analysis, triglyceride (odds ratio: 8.635, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.153-64.687) was independently associated with low SMD. After adjusting clinical data and body composition, high serum albumin (hazard ratio: 0.873, 95% CI: 0.798-0.955) and high SMD (hazard ratio: 0.895, 95% CI: 0.822-0.974) were protective factors for delaying renal failure. Based on the Kaplan-Meier analysis, only the group with low SMD had lower event-free survival in comparison to the reference group (P < .05).
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that there is significant skeletal muscle loss and decrease in SMD in CKD children. Notably, low SMD is indicative of poor prognosis in CKD children.
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