Initial stroke severity and discharge outcome in patients with muscle mass deficit

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the association between muscle mass deficit and the initial severity of ischemic stroke. The impact of muscle mass deficit on the discharge outcome was also evaluated. This retrospective study included 660 patients with acute ischemic stroke who underwent bioelectrical impedance analyses. We compared the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, occurrence of moderate stroke (NIHSSS ≥ 5) at admission, and unfavorable functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score ≥ 2) at discharge between patients with and without muscle mass deficit using Poisson and logistic regression analyses. The mean age of the study patients was 65.6 ± 13.0, and 63.3% were males. Muscle mass deficit was present in 24.4% of patients. Muscle mass deficit was significantly and independently associated with NIHSS score or moderate stroke (all p