Quantitative assessment of the association between erector spinae muscle and in-hospital mortality in elderly patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

OBJECTIVE: Skeletal muscle size is considered a predictor of prognosis in patients with respiratory diseases including Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease. However, no research focused on its impact on prognosis in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Thus, this study aimed to assess the association between erector spinae muscle (ESM) size and in-hospital mortality among patients with pulmonary TB. RESULTS: We retrospectively included 258 consecutive patients aged over 65 years old, who were admitted to the hospital for bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary TB, and all underwent chest computed tomography (CT) scan upon admission. The cross-sectional area of the ESM (ESMcsa) was measured at the lower margin of the 12th thoracic vertebra on a single-slice CT scan image and was adjusted according to body surface area (BSA). In total, 71 (28%) patients died during hospitalization. The non-survivor group had a high incidence of respiratory failure and comorbidities and lower hemoglobin and albumin levels, performance status score, and ESMcsa/BSA. Multivariate analysis revealed that low performance status score and hemoglobin and albumin levels, but not ESMcsa/BSA and body mass index, could independently predict in-hospital mortality after adjusting for age and comorbidities. Therefore, ESM size was not associated with in-hospital mortality in patients with pulmonary TB.