Prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in patients with osteoarthritis: A systematic review and...

sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity (SO) may be predominant risk factors for the development and progression of osteoarthritis (OA). This meta-analysis aims to estimate the global prevalence of sarcopenia and SO in patients with OA.

PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched for observational studies. The meta-analysis applied random-effects models with R software to calculate the pooled prevalence of sarcopenia and SO in patients with OA. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and meta-regression analysis were conducted. Publication bias was assessed by funnel plots and the Egger test. Trim and Fill analysis was used to see the effect of publication bias.

27 studies were included. The pooled prevalence of sarcopenia and SO in patients with OA was 16.7 % and 14.0 %, respectively; subgroup analysis showed that the prevalence of sarcopenia was higher in hospitalized patients (19.2 %), in studies using diagnostic criteria of muscle‑mass‑alone (17.0 %), and among participants aged over 75 years (29.5 %). Subgroup analysis showed that the prevalence of SO was 14.2 % in community-based studies and 16.4 % in studies using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to assess muscle mass. Sensitivity analysis showed that none of the studies affected the overall pooled results. Meta-regression analysis found that Europe and age ≤75 were sources of heterogeneity of the pooled prevalence of sarcopenia. Whereas publication year, sample size, study setting, assessment method for muscle mass, diagnostic criteria of obesity and sarcopenia were sources of heterogeneity of the SO.

This meta-analysis indicated sarcopenia and SO affects more than one in ten OA globally. Attention is needed to screen sarcopenia/SO among patients with OA and optimize its early detection and management in clinical practice.