The relati̇onshi̇p between cardi̇ac computed tomography angi̇ography measurements and sarcopeni̇a i̇n older adults

Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome characterized by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength with a risk of adverse outcomes. Previous studies have provided limited data on the relationship between sarcopenia and cardiac muscle. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between Cardiac Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) parameters and sarcopenia.Patients aged 65 and over who applied to Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine between 1 February 2023 and 15 May 2023 and who had previously undergone Cardiac CT for any reason were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, comphensive geriatric assessments and physical performance tests of the patients were evaluated. Morbidity burden ofpatients were evaluated with Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Sarcopenia was assessed via muscle strength (handgrip strength (HGS)) and muscle mass (bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)). Cardiac CT parameters that were included in the analyzes were Agatston score, left ventricular mass, pericardial fat volume, plaque burden, calcified plaque volume, calcified plaque mass, cardiac output, aortic valve calcification and Coronary artery disease-reporting and data system (CAD-RADS). Left ventricular mass and pericardial fat volume were adjusted by the square of height (h 2 ). Sarcopenia was defined according to low HGS (male <32 kg, female <22 kg) and a low fat free mass index (FFMI) (for male <17 kg/m 2 , female <15 kg/m 2 ). A total of 119 patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 71.28±4.47 years, and 58.8% (n=70) were female. Twenty-four (20.2%) older adults had sarcopenia. There was no difference between sarcopenic and non- sarcopenic groups in terms of CCI score and the frequency of hipertansiyon, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, hyperlipidemia. Patients with sarcopenia were older, had a lower body mass index (BMI), left ventricular mass, left ventricular mass/h 2 , pericardial fat volume and pericardial fat volume/h 2 . In the logistic regression analyses after adjusting for age, sex, smoking and CCI, sarcopenia was associated with left ventricular mass/h 2 , pericardial fat volume /h 2 and CAD-RADS score >0. Moreover, in the linear regression analyses, FFMI was also associated with left ventricular mass/h 2 and pericardial fat volume /h 2 . Our results revealed a relationship between CCTA measurements and sarcopenia. Further studies are needed to understand the effects of sarcopenia on heart muscle.