Evaluation of muscle strength and mass loss and associated conditions in patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis

Evaluation of Muscle Strength and Mass Loss and Associated Conditions in Patients Diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis Objective: This study aims to investigate the frequency of sarcopenia and the factors that may be associated with it in patients receiving treatment. Materials and Methods: The study began after receiving approval from the Health Sciences Ethics Committee of Manisa Celal Bayar University Faculty of Medicine (07.06.2023/20.478.486/1884). It is a prospective descriptive study. Results: A total of 59 cases (Male=11, Female=48) were included in the study. The average age of the cases was 56.64±12.78 years, the average age at disease onset was 45.41±14.12 years, and the average duration of the disease was 11.19±10.24 years. The study was methodologically divided into three groups, with 40.7% having no sarcopenia, 37.3% likely sarcopenia, and 22% confirmed sarcopenia. No statistically significant differences were found in sociodemographic characteristics, serology parameters, treatments applied, ESR, CRP, and DVIT, and SF-36 health survey scores according to sarcopenia status (p>0.05). Statistically significant differences were observed between the groups in terms of morning stiffness (p=0.032), age (p=0.026), age at disease onset (p=0.015), DAS28 (p=0.006), HGST (p=0.001), muscle mass (p=0.001), and FFMI (p=0.001). Conclusions: Our study examined clinical parameters associated with sarcopenia in RA patients. Significant differences were found in DAS28, HGST, muscle mass, BMI, FFMI, and HAQ scores according to sarcopenia status. These findings are consistent with other studies in the literature, demonstrating the general consistency of our study's results. Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, Sarcopenia, Rheumatology