ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Endocrinology of Aging
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1585193
The usefulness of A Body Shape Index in Assessing Muscle Function and Strength in Older adults Haemodialysis Patients
Provisionally accepted
- 1University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- 2Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Objective: This study investigates the relationship between a new anthropometric measure, the Body Shape Index (ABSI), and body composition and biochemical parameters in haemodialysis patients and, for the first time, the correlation between ABSI and muscle strength and function in these patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 80 patients who were regularly treated in the haemodialysis unit of a single medical centre of the University Hospital of Ljubljana, Slovenia. General anthropometric parameters body mass index (BMI) and ABSI = (WC/(BMI2/3x height½) as well as body composition data (fat mass FM, fat-free mass FFM, fat-free mass index FFMI, skeletal muscle index SMI) were determined in 25 women (aged 74.5 ± 7.5 years) and 55 men (aged 70.1 ± 6.6 years) with overweight (25 kg/m2 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Muscle strength was determined using a hand grip strength test, while muscle performance was assessed using the sit-to-stand test. Results: ABSI was significantly negatively associated with muscle strength, functional tests and SMI only in men. Based on the median ABSI value (0.090273 m11/6·kg−2/3 in women and 0.090893 m11/6·kg−2/3 in men), women with a lower ABSI had a significantly higher glucose concentration than those with a higher ABSI. Men with a lower ABSI obtained significantly better results in the hand grip test, sit-to-stand test and waist circumference (WC). In conclusion, our findings suggest an inverse association between ABSI and muscle strength and function in male haemodialysis patients, indicating that higher ABSI may reflect poorer physical condition in this population. Further longitudinal studies are needed to explore the clinical significance of this relationship. Keywords: Haemodialysis; A body shape index, Skeletal Muscle; Muscle strength and function; Sarcopenia.
Keywords: haemodialysis, A Body Shape Index, skeletal muscle, Muscle strength and function, Sarcopenia
Received: 24 Apr 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Knap, Žvanut, Brezočnik and Jurdana. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Mihaela Jurdana, mihaela.jurdana@fvz.upr.si
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.