Kagan KARAMUSTAFALIOGLU¹* and Engin ALTINTAS²

¹Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Internal Medicine Department, Ciftlikkoy Mahallesi Mersin Universitesi Tıp Fakultesi Hastanesi Mersin, Turkey
²Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Gastroenterology Department, Ciftlikkoy Mahallesi Mersin Universitesi Tıp Fakultesi Hastanesi Mersin, Turkey

*Corresponding Author: Kagan KARAMUSTAFALIOGLU; 1Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Internal Medicine Department, Ciftlikkoy Mahallesi Mersin Universitesi Tıp Fakultesi Hastanesi Mersin, Turkey.

Received: March 06, 2025; Published: March 20, 2025

Abstract

Sarcopenia, characterized by a loss of muscle mass, strength, and performance, is prevalent among patients with chronic liver disease. Due to the limitations of current muscle measurement methods in accurately assessing this condition, faster and more reliable alternatives to current muscle measurement methods are necessary.
This analytical cross-sectional study included 58 patients (median age: 60.66 years, 63.8% male) with Chronic Liver Disease (aged 18-90) who visited the Mersin University Faculty of Medicine Gastroenterology outpatient clinic between 01/06/2021 and 01/05/2022. Child-Pugh, MELD, CONUT, eLIFT, and Liver Frailty Index (LFI) were calculated for the patients. The ASMI (Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass Index) was measured using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, and muscle strength was assessed with hand dynamometry. The Hand-Circle and Finger-O-Ring tests were also performed.
Patients were classified as having low or normal muscle mass based on ASMI, with muscle mass assessed using the Hand-Circle Test. In the low ASMI group, 16.2% were identified as having “low muscle mass,” while none in the normal ASMI group fell into this category. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001).
Patients were divided into “frail,” “pre-frail,” and “robust” groups according to the LFI and then evaluated using the Finger-O-Ring Test. According to the Finger-O-Ring Test, 55.6% of frail patients were classified as "weak," 17.4% of pre-frail patients were classified as "weak," and 100.0% of robust patients were found to be "normal." This difference was statistically significant (p = 0.033).
The Hand-Circle Test revealed that 22.2% of frail patients and 8.7% of pre-frail patients had low muscle mass, while 66.7% of robust patients had sufficient muscle mass and 33.3% had excessive muscle mass (p = 0.471).
This study introduces two rapid and effective methods to evaluate sarcopenia in patients with chronic liver disease.

Keywords: Chronic Liver Disease; Sarcopenia; Hand-Circle Test; Finger-O-Ring Test

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Citation

Citation: Kagan KARAMUSTAFALIOGLU and Engin ALTINTAS. “A Practical Approach to Assessing Sarcopenia in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease: Hand-Circle and Finger-O-Ring Tests".Acta Scientific Nutritional Health 9.4 (2025): 35-47.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Kagan KARAMUSTAFALIOGLU and Engin ALTINTAS. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.