Prevalence of Sarcopenia and Its Associated Factors in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Upper Egypt

April 27, 2026 updated by: Esraa Mostafa Hosny Ibrahim, Assiut University
Osteoarthritis (OA) and sarcopenia are two highly prevalent, interconnected geriatric syndromes that often coexist, leading to a condition termed "osteosarcopenia". Globally, the pooled prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with knee OA is estimated at approximately 25.07%, significantly higher than in the general population.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Detailed Description

Chronic inflammation, joint pain, and reduced physical activity in OA patients create a vicious cycle that accelerates muscle mass loss and functional decline. While international data is robust, Egyptian epidemiological data remains limited. Recent studies in Egypt have identified a high risk of sarcopenia among older adults with fragility fractures and a prevalence of 17.7% in nursing home residents. However, targeted data on the OA population in Egypt is still lacking. Current management in Egyptian primary care centers primarily focuses on symptomatic relief of OA through analgesics and physical therapy. Sarcopenia often remains underdiagnosed because routine screening tools, such as the SARC-F questionnaire or Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), are not yet integrated into standard family medicine protocols. This oversight leads to increased frailty and poorer surgical outcomes for patients requiring joint replacement. In the family medicine practice, identifying sarcopenia early is vital for holistic care. Understanding the local prevalence and risk factors-such as Vitamin D deficiency, sedentary behavior, and low protein intake-is essential to tailor interventions. This research aims to provide the evidentiary basis for incorporating sarcopenia screening into primary care OA management, ultimately improving patient mobility and quality of life

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
224

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult patients aged 40 years and older, diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis, who are attending the Assiut University Trauma Hospital.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 40 years and older diagnosed with knee OA based on the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria.
  • Patients who are willing to participate and provide informed written consent.Exclusion Criteria:
  • Inflammatory arthritis: patients with rheumatoid arthritis, gouty arthritis, or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to avoid confusion with inflammatory muscle wasting.
  • Physical Limitations: amputees or those with severe physical deformities preventing gait speed tests or handgrip measurement.
  • Patients with cardiac pacemakers or implanted electronic devices (as these interfere with Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)).
  • Severe Comorbidities: end-stage renal or hepatic disease, advanced malignancy or cachexia.
  • Severe neurological disorders (e.g., Parkinson's disease, Stroke with paralysis) that directly affect muscle mass and mobility.
  • Prolonged use of systemic corticosteroids (which cause secondary sarcopenia)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Knee Osteoarthritis Patients
Adults aged 40 years and older diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis based on the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria attending the Assiut University Trauma Hospital.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Prevalence of sarcopenia in knee osteoarthritis patients
Time Frame: at baseline
Prevalence of OA patients who meet the diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia (low muscle mass, strength, and physical performance) according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2) revised consensus.
at baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Nutritional Risk Assessment via Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST)
Time Frame: Baseline
Evaluation of nutritional status as a factor associated with sarcopenia. The MUST score is a five-step screening tool with a total score ranging from 0 (low risk) to 2 or more (high risk).
Baseline
The Quality of Life Factor (EQ-5D Index)
Time Frame: Baseline
Assessment of the impact of sarcopenia and OA on quality of life. The 5 dimensions (Mobility, Self-care, Usual activities, Pain/discomfort, Anxiety/depression)
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Assiut University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 15, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 27, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 5, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 27, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Sarcopenia_OA_Assiut

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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