Relationship between sarcopenia and cachexia with prognostic markers of middle-aged and older inpatients with COVID-19: a case–control study

Abstract

Key summary points Aim To identify the influence of sarcopenia and cachexia in prognostic markers in COVID-19 inpatients. Findings Sarcopenia is presented as a risk factor for mortality in COVID-19 inpatients. Message The accurate evaluation of nutritional abnormalities in hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19 may help to reduce the risk for adverse outcomes.

Reply: Letter to the editor from Aktas in relation to the paper “Prognostic value of the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index and other hematological markers on long‐term survival in the geriatric population”

“…3,4 This is particularly relevant because as individuals age, they undergo significant changes in body composition, 5 leading to alterations in nutritional status and an increased susceptibility to conditions such as sarcopenia, malnutrition, and frailty, which can have serious implications. [6][7][8] In recent times, the GNRI has emerged as a valuable marker of frailty in various clinical contexts, 9,10 particularly in older patients undergoing surgical procedures, where it has demonstrated significant prognostic value in predicting postoperative outcomes. These findings are noteworthy as they underscore the dual complexity of this seemingly simple index, which not only assesses nutritional risk but also correlates with adverse outcomes.…”