Sarcopenia is Associated with Non-motor symptoms in Han Chinese Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Background: Sarcopenia is commonly seen in the older adults and increases in incidence with age, also in Parkinson’ s Disease (PD). There may be a vicious circle between the development of PD and sarcopenia, but the relationship between the two is not clear. We aimed to investigate the incidence of sarcopenia in patients with PD and the association between non-motor symptoms (NMS) in PD. Methods: The study included 123 patients with PD and 38 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All participants were evaluated for sarcopenia using the 2019 Asian Sarcopenia Diagnostic Criteria, and patients with PD underwent standard assessments of motor and non-motor symptoms. Multiple logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to examine the association between sarcopenia and NMS in PD patients.Results: The incidence of sarcopenia was significantly higher in patients with PD than in healthy controls (26.8% vs. 10.4%, p=0.035). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that poorer sleep quality (odds ratio [OR]: 1.305; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.026–1.622; p=0.030) and fatigue (OR: 1.097, 95% CI: 1.003–1.199, p=0.042) were independently associated with sarcopenia. ROC analysis indicated that the optimal cut-off value for Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores was 10, with 72.7% sensitivity and 74.4% specificity (area under the curve [AUC]=0.776, 95% CI: 0.692–0.846, p<0.001). The optimal cut-off value for Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) scores was 39, with 87% sensitivity and 50% specificity (AUC=0.725, 95% CI: 0.637 –0.802, p<0.001). joint use of FSS and PSQI increased the predictive value (AUC = 0.804, p<0.001).Conclusion: Patients with PD are more susceptible to sarcopenia than healthy older adults. Combined use of FSS and PSQI scores may be a valuable screening method for identifying sarcopenia in patients with PD.