Frequency of sarcopenia in patients who had COVID-19 and recovered and the effect of sarcopenia on the COVID 19 clinical progress

In this study, the frequency of sarcopenia and the effect of sarcopenia on the clinical course of Covid-19 were investigated in those who had Covid-19. 184 people were included in the study. The mean age of the patient group was 62.8, and the mean age of the control group was 61.7. In terms of gender distribution, the patient group; 43 women, 49 men, 46 women and 46 men in the control group. Sarc-f questionnaire for sarcopenia, hand grip strength measurement, muscle mass measurement, walking speed, VAS for fatigue, BORG scale for dyspnea, quality of life were given to all individuals participating in the study. sf-36 questionnaire for comorbidity, Charlson comorbidity index, smoking habit, body composition measurements were performed and recorded. The patient group was questioned about the clinical course of Covid-19, presence of fever and cough, length of hospital stay, and muscle pain. While there were 38 (41.3) persons with sarcopenia in the patient group, there were 3 (3.26%) persons with sarcopenia in the healthy control group. The incidence of sarcopenia in the patient group was significantly higher than in the healthy controls (p<0.001). Sarcopenia was observed in 32.65% of the patient group and 1.39% of the control group in the 50-65 age group. Sarcopenia was observed in 51.16% of the patient group and 10% of the control group over the age of 65. The mean of VAS, BORG and Charlson comorbidity was statistically significantly higher in the patient group compared to the control group, and the mean of muscle strength, walking speed, and sf-36 were statistically significantly lower. (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the relationship between muscle pain symptom, outpatient and inpatient treatment, hospitalization day, smoking and sarcopenia in the patient group (p>0.05). The results of this study showed that the incidence of sarcopenia increased following Covid-19 infection. Comorbidity index, smoking, high BMI and low quality of life were thought to negatively affect the clinical course of Covid-19. More population-based studies are needed to evaluate the causal relationship between Covid-19 infection and sarcopenia. Keywords: BMI,Covid-19,Muscle pain, Sarcopenia,Smoking