The relationship between malnutrition and disease severity, and activity in patients with systemic sclerosis: a cross-sectional study

There is a paucity of evidence regarding the association of malnutrition with the severity and activity of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Hence, the current cross-sectional study examined the association between malnutrition, disease severity, and activity in patients with SSc. In the current cross-sectional study, 202 adults aged between 20 and 60 years with a confirmed diagnosis of SSc were selected using a random sampling approach. The Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria were implemented to examine malnutrition status. SSc activity was determined using the European Scleroderma Study Group (ESSG) criteria. Severity was examined by Medsger’s disease severity scale. A binomial logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate the association between malnutrition and disease severity and activity, and the corresponding odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were presented. From 202 participants who were included in this study, 55 (27.22%) were malnourished. In the crude model, higher disease severity scores were significantly associated with increased odds of developing malnutrition (OR: 1.272, 95% CI: 1.075–1.507; p = 0.005). After controlling for potential confounders, we found a significant association between malnutrition and increased SSc severity. (OR:1.218, 95%CI:1.012, 1.467; p = 0.024). No significant association was observed between malnutrition and SSc activity before or after adjustment for potential confounders. We found that malnutrition, assessed using the GLIM criteria, was significantly associated with greater SSc disease severity. However, we were unable to demonstrate a significant correlation between malnutrition and SSc activity. Further longitudinal investigations are needed to investigate the cause-and-effect relationship between malnutrition and the severity and activity of SSc.