Combination of sarcopenia and high visceral fat predict poor outcomes in patients with Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND Sarcopenia and visceral fat independently predict poor outcomes in Crohn's disease (CD). However, combined influence of these parameters on outcomes is unknown, and was investigated in the present study. METHODS This retrospective study evaluated skeletal muscle index (SMI-cross-sectional area of five skeletal muscles normalized for height), visceral and subcutaneous fat area and their ratio (VF/SC) on single-slice computed tomography (CT) images at L3 vertebrae in CD patients (CT done: January 2012-December 2015, patients followed till December 2019). Sarcopenia was defined as SMI   0.88 (66.1% vs 91.1%, p = 0.1), and still lower in those with both sarcopenia and VF/SC > 0.88 than those with either or none (38% vs 82% vs 100%, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Combination of sarcopenia and high visceral fat predict worse outcomes in CD than either.