Sarcopenia Linked to Smoking in Osteoarthritis Save

Sarcopenia commonly has been linked to aging and arthritis and contributes significantly to quality of life and outcomes, but the association between sarcopenia and OA has not been well established.

Sarcopenia is an age-linked, skeletal muscle disorder leading to low muscle strength and performance. Sarcopenia has negative outcomes including fragility fractures, frailty, disability and high mortality. Sarcopenia has also been associated with malnutrition, obesity, aging, diabetes, Vitamin D deficiency and systemic inflammation

Using cross-sectional study data from 11,456 participants from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES; 1999–2006) they identified sarcopenia (defined by a low muscle mass) based on the skeletal muscle index (SMI) normalized for body mass indexes (BMI) or body weight. 

Sarcopenia was increased in OA patients, as defined by the BMI-adjusted SMI (OR = 1.23 [95% CI, 1.01, 1.51]; P = 0.038) or the weight-adjusted SMI (OR = 1.30 [95% CI, 1.10, 1.55]; P = 0.003). Predictors of this association was seen in smokers (OR = 1.54), but not in other clinical subgroups.

Why exactly sarcopenia associated with smokers in OA patients is not clear from this analysis.