Journal Article

Low body mass index negatively affects muscle mass and intramuscular fat of chronic stroke survivors

Okawa, Naomi, Akazawa, Naoki, Harada, Kazuhiro, Tamura, Kimiyuki, Moriyama, Hideki

2019

Overview

Relationship between secondary changes in skeletal muscle and body weight in chronic stroke survivors has not yet been carefully examined. The objective of this study was to clarify the relationships between muscle mass, intramuscular fat, and body weight in chronic stroke survivors. Seventy-two chronic stroke survivors participated in this study. Transverse ultrasound images were acquired using B-mode ultrasound imaging. Quadriceps muscle mass and intramuscular fat were assessed based on muscle thickness and echo intensity, respectively. We used a stepwise multiple regression analysis to identify the factors that were independently associated with the body mass index. We entered quadriceps thickness and echo intensity of the paretic and non-paretic sides into another stepwise multiple regression model to avoid multicollinearity. Age, sex, type of stroke, time since stroke, thigh length, number of medications, and an updated Charlson comorbidity index were included as the independent variables. The quadriceps thickness and echo intensity of the paretic and non-paretic sides were significantly independently associated with the body mass index: quadriceps thickness of the paretic side, β = 0.52; quadriceps thickness of the non-paretic side, β = 0.55; quadriceps echo intensity of the paretic side, β = -0.35; quadriceps echo intensity of the non-paretic side, β = -0.27). Our results suggest that low body mass index is associated with loss of muscle mass and increased intramuscular fat on both the paretic and non-paretic sides of chronic stroke survivors. Further studies examining whether appropriate weight management, along with targeted rehabilitation programs aimed at increasing muscle mass and decreasing intramuscular fat, achieves good outcomes in chronic stroke survivors are warranted.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Activities of daily living / Adiposity / Aged / Aged, 80 and over / Analysis / Biology and Life Sciences / Body mass / Body Mass Index / Body size / Body weight / Chronic Disease / Cross-Sectional Studies / Female / Gait / Health aspects / Hospitals / Humans / Image acquisition / Independent variables / Male / Medicine and Health Sciences / Multiple regression analysis / Multiple regression models / Muscles / Musculoskeletal system / Older people / Paresis - diagnostic imaging / Paresis - physiopathology / Physical Sciences / Physical therapy / Quadriceps muscle / Quadriceps Muscle - diagnostic imaging / Quadriceps Muscle - physiopathology / Regression analysis / Rehabilitation / Research and Analysis Methods / Sarcopenia / Skeletal muscle / Stroke / Stroke - diagnostic imaging / Stroke - physiopathology / Stroke patients / Studies / Survivors / Thickness / Thigh / Ultrasonic imaging / Ultrasonography / Ultrasound / Weight control