Abstract: Objective  To investigate the association between the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and sarcopenia in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods  A total of 582 hospitalized T2DM patients aged ≥60 years from the Department of Endocrinology at Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, were enrolled. Demographic data, physical examination findings, and laboratory parameters including albumin, hemoglobin, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3  were collected. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and skeletal muscle index (SMI) was calculated. The relationship between GNRI and sarcopenia was assessed. Results  GNRI was significantly lower in the sarcopenia group compared to the non-sarcopenia group in both males and females (97.11 ± 7.38) vs (102.56 ± 6.62), P<0.001; (99.35 ± 6.94) vs (103.27 ± 6.69), P=0.024, respectively). In males, GNRI was positively correlated with SMI, grip strength, and gait speed (r=0.231, P<0.001; r=0.272, P=0.003; r=0.242, P<0.001, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that low GNRI was an independent risk factor for sarcopenia in males (OR=3.25, 95% CI: 1.18–8.94, P =0.023), but not in females. Conclusion  GNRI is a simple and effective tool for evaluating the risk of sarcopenia in hospitalized elderly male T2DM patients and may facilitate early identification and intervention in high-risk populations.

Key words: 2型糖尿病, 肌少症, 老年营养风险指数, 营养不良, 身体成分, 骨骼肌质量指数