Relationship Between Low Skeletal Muscle Mass and Arteriosclerosis in Western China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: This study explored the prevalence and the correlation between low muscle mass and arteriosclerosis in different gender and age groups, to increase the attention paid to the risk factors of arteriosclerosis in the young and middle-aged population. Methods: This was an analytical, cross-sectional study. Data were obtained from healthy individuals recruited from the Health Management Center of W Hospital. The brachial-ankle pulse-wave velocity was used as an indicator of arteriosclerosis, and a bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to assess the body composition. Results: A total of 36,374 subjects (men, 58.4%; women, 41.6%; mean age, 43.74 ± 12.34 years [range, 18–80 years]) participated in this study. The prevalence of low skeletal muscle mass and arteriosclerosis was 17.7 and 53.1%, respectively, in all subjects. Low skeletal muscle mass was significantly associated with arteriosclerosis (OR: 1.435, 95% CI: 1.343–1.533, P < 0.001) in all subjects, and the association remained significant in young age (OR: 1.506, 95% CI: 1.353–1.678, P < 0.001), middle-age (OR: 1.329, 95% CI: 1.195–1.479, P < 0.001), and old age (OR: 1.676, 95% CI: 1.191–2.358, P = 0.003), and also significant in men (OR: 1.559, 95% CI: 1.396–1.740, P < 0.001) and women (OR: 1.266, 95% CI: 1.143–1.401, P < 0.001). Conclusions and Implications: Our results show that the prevalence of low muscle mass and arteriosclerosis is high in the general population, even among middle-aged people and young people, and confirmed that there is a significant independent association between low skeletal muscle mass and arteriosclerosis in all subjects and in different age and gender subgroups.