Rectus femoris cross sectional area and timed up and go test potential useful of as a predictor of sarcopenia and mortality in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease often complicated by sarcopenia, significantly impacting patient outcomes. This study investigates the prevalence and clinical implications of sarcopenia in IPF patients using morphofunctional assessment methods. Eighty-four IPF patients (predominantly male) were evaluated for sarcopenia using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 (EWGSOP2) criteria. Assessments included bioelectrical impedance vectorial analysis (Nutrilab, Akern), handgrip strength (HGS), Timed Up and Go test (TUG), and nutritional ultrasound (NU) measurements of rectus femoris and abdominal adipose tissue. Statistical analysis was performed (version 2.3.28 for macOS) to obtain sarcopenia cut-off points for the different techniques, and then the predictive capacity of these values for survival was analyzed using a Kaplan-Meier curve. Sarcopenia was prevalent in 20.2% of the cohort. Sarcopenic patients exhibited significantly lower forced vital capacity (FVC) (2,142 mL vs. 2745.6 mL,