Prevalence and Risk Factors of Sarcopenia in Patients With Diabetes: A Meta-analysis

Context The prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with diabetes is 3 times higher than that in patients without diabetes and is associated with a poor prognosis. Objective To investigate the global pooled prevalence and risk factors of sarcopenia in patients with diabetes. Data Sources Relevant studies published until November 30, 2020, were identified from the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, WanFang, CNKI, VIP, and CBM databases. Study Selection Participants with age >= 18 years with clinically diagnosed diabetes. Sex and diabetes type were not restricted. Data Extraction The data were extracted by 2 reviewers independently using a standard data collection form. Data Synthesis The pooled prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with diabetes was 18% (95% CI, 16-20); subgroup analysis showed that sarcopenia was more prevalent in males than in females, as well as being more prevalent in Asia than in South America and Oceania. Age (odds ratio [OR], 1.10), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (OR = 1.16), visceral fat area (VFA) (OR = 1.03), diabetic nephropathy (OR = 2.54), duration of diabetes (OR = 1.06), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (OR = 1.33) were risk factors for sarcopenia in patients with diabetes. Conclusions Sarcopenia was more prevalent in patients with diabetes. Age, HbA1c, VFA, diabetic nephropathy, duration of diabetes, and hs-CRP were the probable risk factors. In the future, medical staff should not only pay attention to the early screening of sarcopenia in high-risk groups, but also provide information on its prevention.