Quadriceps femoris muscle ultrasound in sarcoidosis: an observational case-control study.
Rana Terlemez, Buket Caliskaner Ozturk, Sevgi S Kurtoglu and 3 others
PMID 38551519WHAT IT FOUND
Women with stable sarcoidosis had thinner thigh muscles than healthy controls, but their hand grip strength was normal.
Fatigue and lower leg function were linked, suggesting early muscle loss may not show up in standard strength tests.
Key findings
01Thigh muscle thickness and the muscle-to-BMI ratio were significantly lower in the sarcoidosis group than in controls.
02Hand grip strength did not differ significantly between the sarcoidosis group and the healthy controls.
03In the sarcoidosis group, poorer performance on the 30-second chair stand test correlated with higher fatigue scores and with lower age-adjusted muscle mass.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small, which restricted subgroup analysis. The study included only women, so results may not apply to men. Patients were clinically asymptomatic and had stable disease, limiting generalizability to severe sarcoidosis. Healthy controls were not tested on the 30-second chair stand, so functional comparisons between groups could not be made.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that normal hand grip strength rules out muscle loss in sarcoidosis. The study found reduced thigh muscle mass despite normal grip strength, indicating that upper limb tests may miss early lower limb sarcopenia.