Correlation between sarcopenia and cirrhosis: a meta-analysis

BackgroundThe relationship between sarcopenia and cirrhosis is unclear. In this research, our aim is to evaluate the prevalence of sarcopenia among individuals with liver cirrhosis and its correlation with survival and mortality risks.MethodsWe conducted searches on PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane for English articles published up to July 10, 2023, and additionally manually searched the bibliography of relevant articles. We incorporated research on sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis to examine the connection between sarcopenia and the likelihood of survival and mortality. Statistical analyses were carried out utilizing the Stata version 15.1 software. Depending on the heterogeneity of the results, we employed either fixed-effects models or random-effects models for data synthesis. To assess publication bias, we employed funnel plots and conducted Egger’s test.ResultsWe included 40 studies involving 8,945 patients with cirrhosis. The overall prevalence of cirrhosis was 41% (95% CI 34%–48%). Male patients and those with liver cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy had a higher prevalence of sarcopenia (44% for male patients and 48% for hepatic encephalopathy patients). Sarcopenia emerged as a risk factor for both survival (HR = 2.57, 95% CI 2.02–3.27, p