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Median annual skeletal muscle loss in patients with cirrhosis awaiting liver transplantation is approximately 1.6%.
Rapid muscle loss (RML), defined as the worst quartile of muscle loss (< -7.4% per year), predicts significantly higher waitlist mortality independent of MELD-Na score.
Ascites and higher MELD-Na scores independently associate with increased risk of RML.
Understanding the rate of muscle loss and its predictors informs prognostication and potential interventions targeting sarcopenia in cirrhosis.
