Risk Factors of Sarcopenia in COPD Patients: A Meta-Analysis

Objective: Sarcopenia is a common complication of COPD associated with an age-related reduction in skeletal muscle mass associated with decreased muscle strength and / or reduced mobility. The incidence of sarcopenia in patients with COPD is twice that of non-COPD patients and is associated with poor prognosis, this study aimed to investigate the influencing factors of sarcopenia in COPD patients.
Methods: Selected studies from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, Wanfang, CNKI, CBM, and Wanfang databases as of November 12023. Patients aged 18 were selected; data were then independently extracted by two reviewers using a standard data collection form.
Results: In total, 17 articles reporting on 5408 patients were included. Age (OR = 1.083; 95% CI, 1.024– 1.145), ALB (OR = 0.752; 95% CI, 0.724– 0.780), BMI(OR = 0.701; 95% CI, 0.586– 0.838), smoking (OR = 1.859; 95% CI, 1.037– 3.334), diabetes (OR = 1.361; 95% CI, 1.095– 1.692), qi deficiency (OR = 9.883; 95% CI, 2.052, 47.593), GOLD C (OR =2.232; 95% CI, 1.866, 2.670) and GOLD D (OR = 2.195; 95% CI, 1.826– 2.637) were factors affecting muscle loss in COPD patients.
Conclusion: Sarcopenia is more prevalent in patients with COPD. Age, body mass index, smoking, diabetes mellitus, qi deficiency, ALB, and GOLD grade were the contributing factors for sarcopenia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In the future, medical staff should not only pay attention to the early screening of sarcopenia in high-risk groups, but also provide relevant prevention information.

Keywords: sarcopenia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, prevalence, risk factors, meta-analysis