[Relationship between Muscle Mass of Limbs and aGVHD in Patients with Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation].

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation of limb muscle mass and acute graft-versus-host disease. METHODS: Clinical data from 144 patients treated by allo-HSCT in Guangzhou First People's Hospital were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The age, sex, diagnosis, donor age, sex of the donors, preparative regimen, ATG dose, HLA match, graft source, and number of infused stem cells of the patients were collected as baseline information. Meanwhile, bioelectrical impedance principle (BIA) was used to measure the limb muscle mass, body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, upper arm muscle circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, and body fat rate of the patients before and after transplantation, so as to compare the changes of limb muscle mass and investigate its correlation with aGVHD. RESULTS: It was found that 61.11% of allo-HSCT patients showed muscle mass loss, and the proportion of male and female was 35.42% and 25.69%, respectively. There were reduction in the body weight, BMI, upper arm muscle circumference and muscle mass of limbs after transplantation as compared with those before transplantation (P<0.05). By comparing with the cumulative incidence of aGVHD between the patients in low muscle mass group and normal muscle mass group, it was found that the cumulative incidence of Ⅱ-Ⅳdegree aGVHD in patients with low muscle mass (30.38%) was higher than those with normal muscle mass (8.93%), which showed statistical difference (P<0.05). Univariate analysis showed that muscle mass, the sex of the donors, and preparative regimen were the influencing factors of aGVHD (P<0.05). Binary logistic regression showed that low muscle mass was the independent risk factor affecting aGVHD (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients treated by allo-HSCT shows a decline in muscle mass after transplantation, and the incidence of aGVHD is high in patients with low muscle mass. Therefore, the assessment of muscle quality in early stage in patients with HSCT can facilitate earlier detection of aGVHD.