Abstract: Objective  To explore the risk and influencing factors of sarcopenia in Maintenance Hemodialysis (MHD) patients.  Methods  A cross-sectional study was conducted. MHD patients admitted to Nanyang Central Hospital from June 2023 to January 2025 were observed and divided into a sarcopenia group and a non-sarcopenia group based on whether sarcopenia occurred. Clinical data of the patients were collected, and risk factors for sarcopenia in MHD patients were analyzed using a multivariate model.  Results  A total of 150 patients were enrolled, including 58 patients (38.67%) with sarcopenia. Compared with the non-sarcopenia group (n=92), the sarcopenia group had higher age (t=5.339, P<0.001), longer dialysis vintage (t=7.191, P<0.001), higher C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (t=13.284, P<0.001), lower grip strength (t=8.791, P<0.001), lower albumin (Alb) levels (t=6.035, P<0.001), and a higher proportion of patients with diabetes (χ²=13.581, P<0.001). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (OR=1.031, 95%CI: 1.009～1.053, P<0.001), dialysis vintage (OR=1.422, 95%CI: 1.308～1.546, P<0.001), diabetes (OR=3.219, 95%CI: 1.756～5.896, P<0.001), grip strength (OR=0.921, 95%CI: 0.904～0.939, P<0.001), CRP (OR=1.795, 95%CI: 1.662～1.940, P<0.001), and Alb (OR=0.874, 95%CI: 0.836～0.914, P<0.001) were risk factors for sarcopenia in MHD patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age (OR=1.368, 95%CI: 1.102～1.655, P=0.001), dialysis vintage (OR=1.462, 95%CI: 1.112～1.800, P<0.001), diabetes (OR=1.531, 95%CI: 1.118～1.905, P<0.001), grip strength (OR=0.846, 95%CI: 0.747～0.958, P=0.008), CRP (OR=1.468, 95%CI: 1.105～1.785, P<0.001), and Alb (OR=0.621, 95%CI: 0.475～0.812, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for sarcopenia in MHD patients.   Conclusion  Age, dialysis vintage, diabetes, grip strength, CRP, and Alb are independent risk factors for sarcopenia in MHD patients and can be used for early assessment of the risk of sarcopenia in these patients.

Key words: Maintenance hemodialysis, Sarcopenia, Age, Dialysis vintage, Diabetes mellitus