Sarcopenia in children with newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease

Purpose: Sarcopenia, a progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, is traditionally associated with aging but also affects children with chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Despite its clinical significance, diagnosing sarcopenia in pediatric populations remains challenging due to the lack of unified diagnostic criteria and reference data, particularly in Hungary. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the presence of sarcopenia in newly diagnosed pediatric IBD patients using different diagnostic criteria and to assess muscle mass and strength in this population. Methods: A single-center, non-interventional study was conducted at the Heim Pál National Pediatrics Institute, involving seven newly diagnosed IBD patients aged 10-19 years. Handgrip strength was measured using Hungarian population-based reference curves, NHANES Zscores, and the Hungarian NETFIT database. Body composition was assessed via bioelectrical impedance analysis, with reference values from European databases utilized for comparison. Results: Among the seven participants (mean age 16.1 ± 1.9 years), only one patient exhibited low muscle mass, suggesting sarcopenia. Handgrip strength was within the normal range for all patients; however, three children were identified as needing improvement to reach the "healthy" zone according to NETFIT criteria. Variability in body composition percentiles was observed due to differences in the reference data, but severe muscle mass reduction was not prevalent. Conclusion: This study highlights the challenges in diagnosing sarcopenia in pediatric IBD patients, primarily due to the lack of standardized reference data and diagnostic criteria. While a small subset of patients was identified as being at risk for sarcopenia, the findings emphasize the need for localized normative values in Hungary and further research to establish clear diagnostic guidelines for pediatric sarcopenia.