Arm lean mass determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry is superior to characterize skeletal muscle and predict sarcopenia-related mortality in cirrhosis

Abstract

Sarcopenia increases mortality in patients with end-stage liver disease. We show that arm lean mass determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry is a better marker than the traditional appendicular skeletal muscle mass when predicting sarcopenia-related mortality in patients with cirrhosis of different severity. The findings add to the dispute about the optimal method for repeated assessments of skeletal muscle status in patients with cirrhosis and may have implications for clinical decision making.