Ankylosing spondylitis has a predisposition for the development of sarcopenia in the upper extremities A single-center observational study.

Abstract

Introduction: Sarcopenia is associated with chronic diseases, and in rheumatic diseases, there are few reports of its incidence. The study's objective was to determine the relationship between physical activity and sarcopenia in rheumatological patients with ankylosing spondylitis compared to a control group.

Methods: The present case study (CA) of rheumatological patients and controls (CO) was conducted at the IHRED-Guayaquil Medical Center. The variables collected were age, sex, presence of rheumatic disease, percentage of muscle mass, average handgrip dynamometry, SARC-F, and IPAQ score.

Results: There were 70 cases with ankylosing spondylitis and 60 controls. In the AC group, the age was 46.1 ± 15 years; in the CO group, 59.4 ± 9.5 years. In the AC, 84.3% were women, and in the CO group, 81.7%. Significant changes in body composition were evident compared to the control group. There was an association between the percentage of muscle mass and the BASDAI scale. The case group had lower grip strength, 20.5 ±8.8 Kg, versus 24.2 ±9.3 Kg ( P =0.0005), and lower IPAQ activity, 1.33± 0.6 in CA versus 2.15 ±0.51 in CO( P =0.0005).

Conclusions: A significant correlation was evident between the degree of physical activity and the incidence of sarcopenia in the case group compared to the control group and a significant decrease in strength in the upper limbs.