Prevalence of Sarcopenia-Related Muscle-Health Phenotypes in Patients With Severe Mental Illness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Juan Luis Sánchez-González, Alba Sánchez-Gil, Óscar Gonzalo et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis assessed the prevalence of sarcopenia-related muscle-health phenotypes in people with severe mental illness (SMI). Ten studies involving 2210 participants, conducted in China, Japan, or Turkey, were included; most focused on schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The exploratory pooled prevalence was 43.6% (95% confidence interval: 30.3%-58.2%). The authors caution that this is not a clinically precise estimate of sarcopenia prevalence because studies used non-equivalent phenotypes and results were highly heterogeneous. Overall certainty of evidence was rated very low.
Key findings
- Across 10 studies and 2210 participants, the exploratory pooled prevalence was 43.6% (95% confidence interval: 30.3%-58.2%).
- Sensitivity analyses yielded an estimate of 58% (95% confidence interval: 48%-67%), with substantial heterogeneity remaining.
- Most studies involved schizophrenia-spectrum disorders; only one included people with bipolar disorder.
- Evidence certainty was very low because of methodological limitations, inconsistency, and potential small-study effects.
Why it matters
Muscle-related impairment may be an underrecognized component of physical morbidity in SMI. The review highlights that physical health assessment in this population may need to consider muscle health and physical frailty alongside cardiometabolic outcomes, while the pooled prevalence should not be treated as a precise estimate.
What to keep in mind
The evidence was highly heterogeneous, used non-equivalent phenotype definitions, and was rated very low certainty. All included studies were from China, Japan, or Turkey, limiting generalizability.