Should we use the SARC-F score in sarcopenia screening in kidney transplant patients?

The risk of sarcopenia is increased in kidney transplant (KT) patients. The SARC-F score is a reliable tool used for sarcopenia screening; however, it has not been tested in KT patients.

The aim of our study is to assess the prevalence of sarcopenia in KT recipients and to investigate the relationship between the SARC-F score and sarcopenia parameters.

The study included 150 KT patients. Body muscle mass was measured using the Tanita DC 360 ST device. Before these measurements, patients were scored using the five-question SARC-F assessment, and their scores were recorded.

28 patients were diagnosed with sarcopenia, yielding a sarcopenia prevalence of 18.7%. The mean age of the patients was 42.1 ± 13.5 years. Correlation analysis of SARC-F scoring results revealed a negative correlation between SARC-F and total muscle mass, muscle percentage, skeletal muscle mass, skeletal muscle index, grip strength, and walking speed parameters, as expected. Analysis of SARC-F scores showed that only 12 of the 150 patients had a SARC-F score greater than 4. Patients with a SARC-F score ≥ 4 had lower muscle percentage, total muscle mass, skeletal muscle mass, handgrip strength, and walking speed than those with a score < 4. However, only one of these patients met the criteria for sarcopenia.

The findings of this study indicate that the SARC-F score is associated with muscle mass and strength parameters in KT patients and may be used as a screening tool. However, it is not sufficient as a standalone diagnostic tool for sarcopenia.