Dynapenia and Sarcopenia as Risk Factors for Mortality in Interstitial Lung Disease

Fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Patients often exhibit impaired nutritional status and alterations in body composition, such as dynapenia and sarcopenia, which correlate with poor pulmonary function, reduced exercise tolerance and diminished quality of life. However, the impact of dynapenia and sarcopenia on prognosis has not been examined extensively in ILD patients. We assessed the impact of dynapenia and sarcopenia as risk factors for mortality and their prevalence in ILD.

Prospective cohort study. ILD was classified into idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), connective tissue disease-related ILD (CTD-ILD) and chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (CHP). Patients over 18 years old with a confirmed diagnosis of ILD were included, while those with diagnoses of cancer, human immunodeficiency virus and neurological disease were excluded. Dynapenia and sarcopenia were determined according to EWGSOP2 criteria.

Ninety-eight ILD patients were included; 33.66% had IPF, 47.96% had CTD-ILD, and 18.37% had CHP. The mean age was 63.89 ± 12.02 years; 37.76% were male. The risk factors associated with mortality included dynapenia (HR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.10-3.77, p = 0.022), sarcopenia (HR: 1.88, 95% CI; 1.00-3.33, p = 0.049) and exercise tolerance (HR: 0.99, 95% CI; 0.99-0.99, p = 0.023), adjusted for confounding variables. The prevalence of dynapenia was 45% in ILD; 51% in IPF, 35% in CTD-ILD and 61% in CHP. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 29%; both IPF (39%) and CHP (50%) had a higher prevalence of sarcopenia than CTD-ILD (14%).

Sarcopenia and dynapenia are independent risk factors for mortality in ILD.