Using measures of sarcopenia to predict recurrent cerebrovascular events in stroke and TIA patients

Sarcopenia is associated with poor outcomes, and evidence suggests an inverse relationship between skeletal muscle mass and cardiovascular risk. Sarcopenia has been studied after stroke, but its value as a risk factor for stroke has not been examined. This prospective cohort study measured sarcopenia in stroke/TIA patients at baseline to explore its role in predicting recurrent events. The Arterial Stiffness In lacunar Stroke and TIA (ASIST) study included 96 patients with TIA/lacunar stroke, of which 82 patients (mean age 71.2±10.8 years) had bioimpedance analysis to assess body composition. Skeletal Mass Index (SMI) was calculated and parameters of sarcopenia assessed using Davison (1) and Janssen (2) criteria. Recurrent cerebrovascular events were monitored over 5 years. Eighteen patients had recurrent events. On independent samples t test there were significantly more participants with sarcopenia in the recurrent events group (89% vs 56%, p