Photo Credit: Freepick

The following is a summary of “Effect of sarcopenia on prognosis in patients with mild acute ischemic stroke: a prospective cohort study,” published in the March 2025 issue of BMC Neurology by Chen et al. 

Ischemic stroke has a high disability rate. Sarcopenia may worsen outcomes, but evidence in acute cases is limited. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study on the effect of sarcopenia on acute ischemic stroke prognosis.  

They conducted a prospective cohort study on patients with acute ischemic stroke from August 2020 to May 2021. Modified Poisson regression determined relative risk (RR) for modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score changes and adjusted for confounders. Multiple linear regression assessed Barthel Index (BI) and stroke-specific quality of life (SSQOL), while a generalized linear mixed model analyzed prognosis at 1, 3, and 6 months. Cox regression evaluated the effect of sarcopenia on readmission. 

The results showed sarcopenia prevalence was 39.83% among 118 patients (age 64.98 ± 11.053 years, 72.88% males). Modified Poisson regression found poor prognosis in patients with sarcopenia (RR = 3.021, 95% CI: 1.621–5.633, P = 0.001). After adjusting for confounders, sarcopenia remained a risk predictor for mRS increase (RR = 2.149, 95% CI: 1.045–4.420, P = 0.038) and correlated with BI and SSQOL (P < 0.01). Patients with Sarcopenia had worse prognoses (t = 3.128, P = 0.002). Cox regression showed sarcopenia predicted readmission within 6 months (HR = 3.361, 95% CI: 1.277–8.848, P = 0.014) and remained an independent risk factor after adjustment. 

Investigators found sarcopenia was highly prevalent in mild acute ischemic stroke and an independent risk factor for poor outcomes and high readmission rates. 

Source: bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12883-025-04136-1