Definition and Diagnosis of Sarcopenia in the Research and Clinical Settings

Sarcopenia or muscle wasting in patients with cirrhosis is frequent and has been reported in 40 to 60% of patients. Discrepancies in sarcopenia prevalence between studies likely result from divergent criteria for defining sarcopenia according to values below 5th percentile of age and sex-matched normal population or optimal cut points for the mortality discriminations. Skeletal muscle index (SMI) measured by computed tomography constitutes the best studied technique for measuring sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis. Cutoff values for sarcopenia, defined as SMI <50 cm2/m2 in male and <39 cm2/m2 in female patients, constitute the validated definition for sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis.