muscle mass and liver cirrhosis

Sarcopenia is an important burden in liver cirrhosis representing a negative prognostic factor for mortality. Moreover, sarcopenia is an independent predictor of complications in patients with liver cirrhosis, including Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE). An association between sarcopenia and HE in liver cirrhosis has been reported in recent studies, indeed both these complications often affect patients with advanced liver cirrhosis and may exert a synergic effect in deteriorating patients' outcome. Episodes of HE occur more often in patients with muscle depletion...

Skeletal muscle is a tissue that represents 30-40% of total body mass in healthy humans and contains up to 75% of total body proteins. It is thus the largest organ in non-obese subjects. The past few years have seen increasing awareness of the prognostic value of appreciating changes in skeletal muscle compartment in various chronic diseases. Hence, a low muscle mass, a low muscle function and muscle fatty infiltration are linked with poor outcomes in many pathological conditions. In particular, an affluent body of evidence links the severity, the complications and mortality of chronic liver disease (CLD) with skeletal muscle depletion...

INTRODUCTION: Reduced muscle area on CT scan is an independent predictor of mortality in cirrhosis. We examine for the first time the relationship between Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) lean mass parameters on outcomes in cirrhotic men awaiting liver transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed DEXA scans performed during transplant assessment between 2001 and 2016. Baseline data including presence of ascites and MELD score were recorded...

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is one of the most common complications of cirrhosis. Liver transplantation (LT) is the treatment of choice for patients with early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that are unsuitable for resection. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 163 patients transplanted at our institution with HCC from 1998 to 2016. Sarcopenia was diagnosed based on the skeletal muscle mass on computed tomography imaging using SliceOmatic 5.0 software at L3 level (≤52...

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia, i.e ., muscle loss is now a well-recognized complication of cirrhosis and in cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can contribute to accelerate liver fibrosis leading to cirrhosis. Hence, it is imperative to study interventions which targets to improve sarcopenia in cirrhosis. AIM: To examine the relationship between interventions such nutritional supplementation, exercise, combined life style intervention, testosterone replacement and trans jugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) to improve muscle mass in cirrhosis...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Accurate evaluation of renal function in patients with liver cirrhosis is critical for clinical management. However, discrepancy still exists between the measured GFR (mGFR) and Cr-based estimated GFR (eGFR). In this study, we compared the performance of two common eGFR measurements with mGFR, and evaluated the impact of low muscle mass on overestimation of renal function. METHODS: This study included 779 consecutive cirrhotic patients who underwent 51 Cr- ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) (as a mGFR) and abdominal computed tomography (CT)...

AIM: The present study aimed to assess the correlation between loss of skeletal muscle mass (LSMM) and the clinical characteristics of patients with liver cirrhosis. METHODS: This multicenter, prospective study was conducted at five locations in Japan. This study involved a 12-month observation period. After baseline assessment, the change in the skeletal muscle index per year (ΔSMI/y) was evaluated in the enrolled patients. LSMM was defined as ΔSMI/y <0. We evaluated the relationships between LSMM and baseline clinical characteristics in patients with liver cirrhosis...

BACKGROUND: Patients with cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease (ESLD) develop severe nutrition deficits that affect morbidity and mortality. Laboratory measures of nutrition fail to fully assess clinical deficits in muscle mass and fat stores. This study employs computed tomography imaging to assess muscle mass and subcutaneous and visceral fat stores in patients with ESLD. METHODS: This 1:1 case-control study design compares ESLD patients with healthy controls...

We sought to investigate the influence of sarcopenia as defined by muscle strength and skeletal muscle mass (SMM) on sleep disturbance as evaluated by the Japanese version of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-J) in chronic liver diseases (CLDs) ( n = 419). Muscle strength and muscle mass were determined by grip strength (GS) and SMM using bioimpedance analysis. Patients were classified into four types: type A ( n = 61); decreased GS and decreased SMM; type B ( n = 45); decreased GS and non-decreased SMM; type C ( n = 102); non-decreased GS and decreased SMM; and type D ( n = 211); non-decreased GS and non-decreased SMM...

BACKGROUND: Loss of muscle mass and muscle weakness are common complications to cirrhosis and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Therefore, physical exercise may benefit people with cirrhosis. OBJECTIVES: To assess the beneficial and harmful effects of physical exercise versus sham exercise or no exercise for people with cirrhosis. SEARCH METHODS: We searched The Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Controlled Trials Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE Ovid, Embase Ovid, and three other databases, including manual searches through reference lists, abstracts, and presentations at conferences and meetings, Google Scholar, and online trial registers in February 2018...

The relationship between intake of nutrients and Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE) dates back to the historical roots of experimental hepatology. Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAA; Isoleucine, leucine and valine) have attracted particular interest and in 1956 Müting described the amino acid pattern in patients with cirrhosis. The abnormal plasma pattern has been characterized by the ratio between BCAA and aromatic amino acids in plasma, the so called 'Fischer´s ratio'. This ratio has been associated with the grade of HE...

Sarcopenia and frailty are among the most common features of cirrhosis that contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality; however, sarcopenia is not identical to frailty. Sarcopenia is a critical reduction in skeletal muscle mass associated with poor outcomes. The main components of frailty are sarcopenia and physical impairment, which result in a cumulative decline in physiologic reserve (1, 2). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND: Loss of skeletal muscle mass is a recognised complication with a prognostic impact in patients with cirrhosis. AIM: To explore in a retrospective analysis which muscle compartment most reliably predicts the occurrence of cirrhosis-associated complications and if there are gender-related differences. METHODS: 795 patients with cirrhosis listed for liver transplantation between 2001 and 2014 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria including an abdominal CT scan (±200)...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Malnutrition is highly prevalent in chronic liver disease (CLD) due to alterations in nutrient utilization, malabsorption and poor intake. Low serum concentrations of branched chain amino acids (BCAA) in the presence of elevated aromatic acid concentrations is commonly observed in adult and children with liver cirrhosis and is associated with malnutrition and other adverse patient outcomes. The efficacy of BCAA supplementation has not been well established in adults and children with CLD...

INTRODUCTION: Muscle cramps are common comorbidities in chronic liver disease (CLD). Although the prevalence of these has been reported in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), that of CLD is unknown. In this study, we aimed to clarify the prevalence and characteristics of muscle cramps in individual CLD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 432 patients with CLD who visited our hospital were enrolled. The existence of muscle cramps, frequency, time zone, duration, and the degree of pain were investigated using a medical interview questionnaire...

BACKGROUND: Various etiologies of chronic liver disease often result in cirrhosis. Beside obvious liver-related complications, cirrhosis also leads to loss of muscle mass and decreased exercise capacity. In this study, our aim was to conduct a systematic review of literature to investigate the efficacy of exercise interventions in patients with cirrhosis. METHOD: PubMed was used to perform the literature search. The mesh terms used were the following: (liver (and) cirrhosis (and) exercise or (exercise therapy))...

Liver transplantation has become a highly standardized, acceptable option for selected patients with end-stage liver disease and/or hepatocellular carcinoma in the setting of cirrhosis. Both conditions are associated with loss of skeletal muscle mass (sarcopenia) and physical deconditioning. Both conditions result in a dramatic decrease in the patients' quality of life, negatively impacting on the pre- and post-transplant prognosis. In this context, awareness of the advantages of physical activity in both the pre- and post-transplant setting is key...

One of the most important characteristics of malnutrition is the loss of muscle mass and the severe depletion of the protein reserve, secondarily affecting energy metabolism. That impacts nutritional status and the progression of disease-related complications. Nutritional treatment is one of the main factors in the comprehensive management of those patients. Achieving adequate energy intake that provides the macronutrients and micronutrients necessary to prevent or correct malnutrition is attempted through dietary measures...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a major neuropsychiatric complication in advanced liver disease, is associated with poor prognosis. Sarcopenia, characterized by a decline in muscle mass, strength, and physical performance, is prevalent in liver cirrhosis. This study aims to explore whether sarcopenia is associated with HE in cirrhotic patients. METHODS: PubMed and EMBASE were searched for relevant cohort and case-control studies investigating the association between sarcopenia and HE up to July 2018...

The therapeutic management of liver fibrosis remains an unresolved clinical problem. The activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) serves a pivotal role in the formation of liver fibrosis. In our previous study, matrix‑assisted laser desorption/ionization time‑of‑flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‑TOF MS) was employed to identify potential serum markers for liver cirrhosis, such as eukaryotic peptide chain releasing factor 3b polypeptide (eRF3b‑37), which was initially confirmed by our group to serve a protective role in liver tissues in a C‑C motif chemokine ligand 4‑induced liver cirrhosis mouse model...