The association between low skeletal muscle mass and immunoinflammatory markers in middle-aged and elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Purpose To investigate the relationships between low skeletal muscle mass and immunoinflammatory markers in middle-aged and elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods From April 2022 to May 2023, 978 middle-aged and elderly T2DM patients diagnosed in the Department of Endocrinology of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University were divided into a low skeletal muscle mass group and a normal group according to the muscle mass index, compared the differences between the groups. The above immunoinflammatory markers were grouped according to the quartile levels, and the prevalences of muscle mass loss were compared among the groups; the relationship between the immunoinflammatory index and low skeletal muscle mass in T2DM patients was analysed. Results Compared with the normal group, the levels of all immunoinflammatory indices of low skeletal muscle mass group were significantly increased ( P  < 0.05); the prevalences of skeletal muscle mass loss were progressively raised with increasing quartile levels of each immunoinflammatory marker. The levels of immunoinflammatory markers were independently and positively correlated with the risk of low skeletal muscle mass (NAR: OR = 2.148, 95% CI 1.225–3.766, P  = 0.008; NLR: OR = 1.210, 95% CI 1.036–1.411, P  = 0.016; MLR: OR = 1.282, 95% CI 1.068–1.540, P  = 0.008; SII: OR = 1.001, 95% CI 1.000 -1.002, P  = 0.009; SIRI: OR = 1.828, 95% CI 1.271–2.628, P  = 0.001; SIRI: OR = 1.003, 95% CI 1.001–1.004, P  = 0.010) . Conclusions The occurrence of low skeletal muscle mass may be closely related to immune inflammation in middle-aged and elderly T2DM patients. Monitoring immune inflammation markers is of clinical value for early screening and intervention of muscle mass loss in middle-aged and elderly T2DM patients.