Background: In patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome, different mechanisms lead to loss of strength and muscle mass, hospitalization, mechanical ventilation, and hormonal imbalance. Besides, sarcopenia has been associated with frailty, cardiometabolic dysfunction, physical disability, and metabolic alterations. Moreover, sarcopenic obesity (SO) has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality.  Metabolic alterations are not well described in this population. We hypothesize that SO patients will have greater metabolic disturbances. This study aimed to examine the metabolic profile according to body composition in Post-COVID-19 subjects.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study 177 Post-COVID-19 patients were included, divided in three groups: normo-weight (NW)(n=31), with sarcopenia (S)(n=51) and with sarcopenic obesity (SO)(n=95). The exclusion criteria were previous diagnosis of cancer, presence of any surgical procedure less than 3 months.

Results: SO patients were older vs normal weight patients [63.93±14.48 vs 55.80±13.54, p=0.046]. SO subjects had lower hemoglobin levels [13.61±1.93 vs 15.95±2.00, p=0.00], hematocrit [40.07±5.54 vs 46.65±5.19, p=0.000], as well, higher patelets [300.80±82.40 vs 242.01±82.11, p=0.0053] than NW, Red cell Blood Distribution Width (RDW) was higher in SO patients vs NW [15.89±2.23 vs 14.04±1.67, p=0.008]. Besides SO subjects had higher HOMA index [3.37±2.21 vs 1.81±1.20, p=0.005], and insuline levels [11.92±7.76 vs 7.39±4.81, p=0.030] than sarcopenic subjects.

Conclusions: SO patients have lower levels in hemoglobin, hematocrit, RDW, associated with desnutrition and higher levels in HOMA index and insulin associated with adverse glucose.