Muscle mass, strength, and sarcopenia in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a scoping review
Authors' conclusion
Muscle deficits in JIA are a multifaceted problem encompassing both atrophy and weakness, with reports of a high sarcopenia burden that can persist into young adulthood.
Study context
- Population
- Studies assessing muscle mass (DXA, peripheral quantitative CT or bioelectrical impedance analysis) or muscle strength (dynamometry) in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients
- Participants
- 2,040 participants37 studies
- Comparison
- JIA patients vs controls
- Outcome
- Muscle mass and muscle strength deficits in JIA, in the framework of sarcopenia
Methodological detailsPubMed/Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane databases (up to September 2025)
- PubMed/Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane databases (up to September 2025)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Muscle mass (21 studies): heterogeneous; comparative studies reporting significantly lower lean mass, primarily linked to high disease activity
9 of 14, 64%
Muscle strength (10 studies): cross-sectional studies vs controls finding significant weakness, strongly correlated with disease activity and disability
3 of 3
Interventional trials showing weakness responsive to exercise
5 of 7
Prevalence of sarcopenia in a young-adult cohort (comprehensive studies, n = 6), strongly associated with high disease activity and accumulated damage; "mass-strength dissociation"
59%
Original publication
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