Muscle Function Impairment in Crohn's Disease Patients: Risk Factors and Clinical Implications-Single-Tertiary-Center...

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Muscle Physiology
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research

Background:

• Sarcopenia significantly impacts inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) course.
• Current IBD sarcopenia assessment primarily focuses on muscle quantity, neglecting muscle function.
• Evaluating muscle function is crucial for understanding disease impact and patient risk stratification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess muscle function in Crohn's disease (CD) patients.
• To identify predictors of impaired muscle function in CD.
• To investigate the relationship between disease characteristics and muscle function.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 84 infliximab-treated CD patients.
• Body composition assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis.
• Muscle strength measured by handgrip strength (HGS) and physical performance by gait speed.

Main Results:

• Half of CD patients exhibited reduced muscle strength; none met sarcopenia criteria.
• One-third had low physical performance; only one patient screened positive for sarcopenia.
• Ileocolonic disease localization, male sex, and lower hemoglobin levels independently predicted lower HGS.

Conclusions:

• Reduced muscle strength is prevalent in CD patients on infliximab, irrespective of muscle mass.
• Ileocolonic disease localization and lower hemoglobin are key predictors of low muscle strength.
• Comprehensive muscle function assessment is vital for early risk identification in CD patients.