Comparison of muscle and fat parameters measured by ultrasonography and dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry between older palliative care patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Background and AimsThere are limited data on the comparison of body compositions between diabetic and non‐diabetic patients. We aimed to compare the muscle mass and fat parameters measured by ultrasonography (USG) and dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) between older palliative care patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).MethodsWe conducted a prospective, cross‐sectional study. We recorded the demographics, comorbidities, blood pressures, microvascular complications, pressure injuries, ambulation and nutritional status, and laboratory parameters. We measured the handgrip strength with a hand dynamometer and anthropometric parameters. We analyzed the subcutaneous fat thickness, muscle thickness (MT), and cross‐sectional area (CSA) of the rectus femoris (RF) and biceps brachii muscles by USG and the total and regional muscle mass and fat parameters by DXA. We performed a regression analysis to examine the independently associated factors of DM.ResultsWe included 55 patients (mean age: 79.0 ± 8.0 years, 56.4%: female). 43.6% had type 2 DM. The patients with DM had significantly higher glucose and HbA1c levels and lower RFMT and RFCSA values than the patients without DM (p < 0.01, for all). The RFMT was independently associated with DM after adjusting age, sex, and body mass index (Odds ratio = 0.735, 95% confidence interval = 0.565–0.956, p = 0.022).ConclusionOur study demonstrated that the RFMT might be associated with type 2 DM. This was the first study comparing the body compositions measured by USG and DXA between older diabetic and non‐diabetic palliative patients with a wide range of laboratory evaluations. Longitudinal, multi‐center studies are warranted to understand the underlying mechanisms.