A 2-year longitudinal study of skeletal muscle mass in women over 40 years of age with degenerative lumbar scoliosis

Purpose We investigated changes in skeletal muscle mass and bone mineral density in degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) patients during a 2-year follow-up following diagnosis. Method This study included 418 Japanese women, identifying 50 patients for the DLS group (mean age 76.4 years) and 368 patients for the control group (mean age 73.4 years). Whole-body skeletal muscle mass was measured using a Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzer. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured using DXA. Skin autofluorescence (SAF), a marker of advanced glycation end products in the skin, was measured using a spectroscope. Spinal alignment, skeletal muscle mass, BMD, grip strength, and SAF were examined and the amount of change 1 and 2 years from the initial examination for each item was compared between groups. Results Height, body fat mass, grip strength, upper limb muscle mass, and trunk muscle mass in the DLS group were significantly lower, and lumbar spine BMD was significantly greater compared to controls at the first visit ( p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in spinal alignment in the DLS group after 2 years compared with baseline. Trunk muscle mass also decreased significantly more in the DLS group (–2.7%) than in the control group (–1.1%) over the 2-year follow-up ( p < 0.05). Discussion In this study, trunk muscle mass in the DLS group decreased about 2.4 times more in 2 years compared with the control group ( p < 0.05). It may be possible to clarify the mechanism of kyphoscoliosis progression in the future with large-scale longitudinal studies.