P632 - CORRELATION BETWEEN SARC-F SCORE AND HANDGRIP STRENGTH IN PATIENTS WITH LIVER CIRRHOSIS

P632

CORRELATION BETWEEN SARC-F SCORE AND HANDGRIP STRENGTH IN PATIENTS WITH LIVER CIRRHOSIS

S. Khan¹, S. Sansoni¹, S. Di Cola¹, L. Lapenna¹, M. Merli^1,*

¹Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

Rationale: Sarcopenia, marked by reduced muscle strength and physical performance, is a frequent complication in liver cirrhosis (LC). SARC-F is a simple, subjective tool for screening sarcopenia risk, while handgrip strength (HGS) provides an objective measure.

Aim: To assess the correlation between SARC-F and HGS in LC patients.

Methods: This prospective observational study evaluated LC patients attending the portal hypertension clinic at Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome. SARC-F (score 0–10; ≥4 indicates risk) includes five items: strength, walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, and falls- each scored 0-2. HGS was measured in the dominant hand using a dynamometer. Low muscle function was defined as HGS <27 kg in males and <16 kg in females. Data was analysed using independent t-test and Pearson’s correlation (SPSS v28.0.1.1).

Results: 165 patients [male- 67.5%; age 64±9.5 yrs; etiology: alcohol-46.1%, MASLD-20.6%, viral-26.2%, others-7.1%; MELD- 10.9±3.5; MELD Na- 12.1±4.2; 64% Child A, BMI- 27.45±6.4 kg/m²] were evaluated. 42% of the patients had a SARC-F score ≥4. The mean HGS was 25.13±10.72 kg, with 45.2% having a low muscle function; 33.9% had both a SARC-F score ≥ 4 and low muscle function. HGS was lower in patients with SARC-F ≥ 4 compared to those with SARC-F < 4 in both sexes. Among females, the difference was not statistically significant (14.4 ± 7.3 kg vs 17.3 ± 8 kg; p = 0.08), while in males, it was significantly lower in the high SARC-F group (23 ± 10.5 kg vs 30.6 ± 9.4 kg; p < 0.001). SARC-F and HGS had statistically significant inverse correlation in all patients, males, and females (r= -.484, p<0.001; r= -.425, p<0.001; r= -.376, p=0.004, respectively). 

Conclusion: SARC-F score was negatively correlated with HGS in LC patients, supporting its utility as a practical, quick, and low-resource screening tool. The correlation was stronger in males, suggesting greater predictive value.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared