Low ALT, a marker of sarcopenia and frailty, is associated with shortened survival amongst myelodysplastic syndrome patients: A retrospective study

Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) is a common blood dyscrasia that mainly affects the elderly population. Several prognostic scores are available utilizing blood count variables and cytogenetic abnormalities, targeting the disease rather than the patient. Sarcopenia and frailty are associated with shortened survival rates in various disease states. Low Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) levels are a marker of lowered muscle mass and frailty status. This study aimed to examine the correlation between low ALT levels and prognosis in MDS patients. This is a retrospective cohort study. We obtained the demographic, clinical, and laboratory data of patients in a tertiary hospital. Univariate and multivariate models were used to investigate the potential relationship between low ALT level and survival. The final study included 831 patients (median age 74.3 years, Interquartile range 65.6-81.8), and 62% were males. The median ALT level was 15 international units (IU)/L and 233 patients (28%) had low ALT levels (<12 IU/L). Univariate analysis showed that low ALT levels were associated with a 25% increase in mortality (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-1.50, P = .014). A multivariate model controlling for age, sex, body mass index, hemoglobin and albumin concentrations, and low ALT levels was still significantly associated with increased mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.01-1.56, P = .041). Low ALT levels were associated with increased mortality among patients with MDS. Impact: Using ALT as a frailty metric may allow patient-centered, personalized care in this patient population. A low ALT level reflects the pre-morbid robustness of patients and is not intended to replace disease-centered characteristics.