Retrospective determination of the prognostic value ofparaspinous muscle mass measurement in patients withpulmonary involvement due to COVID-19

COVID-19 emerged in China in 2019 and has become an epidemic that affects the whole world in a short time. Individuals infected may show clinical signs ranging from asymptomatic to critically ill. Despite successful vaccine studies, there is currently no cure for COVID-19 disease. Rapid and reliable tests are required for early assessment of COVID-19 prognosis and mortality. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between decreased paraspinal muscle mass and muscle radiodensity and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Our study included 493 COVID-19 patients who received treatment at Bursa Uludağ University Faculty of Medicine Emergency Pandemic Clinic between 11.03.2020 and 26.10.2021 and were hospitalized in COVID-19 services and intensive care units. Age, gender, comorbidities, vital signs, laboratory values, paraspinous muscle size, muscle radiodensity, length of hospital stay and mortality of the patients were retrospectively analyzed. Paraspinous muscle mass and muscle radiodensity were measured at the level of T12 pedicle protrusions of thorax computed tomography images by a radiologist. The paraspinous muscle index was calculated using paraspinous muscle mass. The factors were assessed using univariate and multivariate logistics regression analyses. The study included 493 patients, 194 (39.4%) of whom were female and 299 (60.6%) of whom were male. The patients were 59.34 + 15.10 years old on average. Of the patients included in the study, 391 (79.3%) were discharged with recovery, and 102 (20.7%) died in the hospital. The statistical analysis showed that age (p = 0.001), diabetes mellitus (p = 0.001), x immunosuppression (p = 0.002), oxygen saturation (p = 0.001), length of hospital stay (p = 0.001), and death were statistically significant. In conclusion, this study indicated that factors such as advanced age, the existence of diabetes mellitus and immunosuppression, poor oxygen saturation, and length of hospital stay were linked to mortality. Keywords: COVID-19, paraspinous muscle mass, mortality