Estimation of Skeletal Muscle Mass in Patients with Spinocerebellar Ataxia (P6.401)

Objective: To estimate skeletal muscle mass (SMM) in a group of patients with Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA), by anthropometric and bioelectrical impedance methods (BIA). Background: SCA is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects balance and gait. Over time, it can affect the muscle tone and may influence its trophism. Body composition assessment is necessary for promoting therapeutic strategies to mitigate the loss and muscle weakness, and to improve its structure and function. Bioelectrical impedance (BIA) is simple to operate, safe, non-invasive, and relatively inexpensive method for evaluating body composition. To our knowledge, until this moment, there are no studies that have evaluated SMM of patients with SCA by BIA. Methods: The SMM of seventy-six patients with SCA was quantified. Individuals of both genders with several types of SCA in various stages of the disease were assessed. BIA analysis was used according Heyward (2000). Muscle mass was predicted by Janssen (2000) equation. Results: The mean age of patients was 45.3 years (SD 10.5), ranging from 22 to 72, with 54[percnt] women. The average of weight and height was 64.2 kg (SD 13.9) and 161.2 cm (SD 8.7), respectively. According to the Body Mass Index, 43.4[percnt] of patients were eutrophic, 39.5[percnt] were overweight, 10.5[percnt] were obese, and 6.6[percnt] were underweight. SCA 3 was the most common (41[percnt]) and SARA scores ranged from 1 to 36.5. Men presented higher SMM than women: 28.4 kg (SD 4,1) compared with 18.1kg (SD 2.6) respectively. SMM was approximately 13[percnt] smaller than reference values in both genders, independent of age group. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that although the studied patients presented high prevalence of obesity and overweight, there was SMM loss, which may result in a devastating impairment on their ability to remain independent. Further studies comparing images methods with BIA in SCA patients are required. Disclosure: Dr. Teive has nothing to disclose. Dr. Leite has nothing to disclose. Dr. Macedo has nothing to disclose. Dr. Schieferdecker has nothing to disclose. Dr. Moro has nothing to disclose.