Weight loss is correlated with disease severity in Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2: a cross-sectional cohort study.

Background: Body weight changes occur frequently during advanced stages of Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 2 (SCA2), nevertheless limited information exists on biomarkers of nutritional status of these patients.
Objective.: To assess changes in surrogate nutritional markers of SCA2 patients; to explore their associations with expanded CAG repeats and disease severity.
Methods: One-hundred-thirteen SCA2 patients and 50 healthy controls underwent a comprehensive anthropometrical and biochemical assessment protocol of the nutritional status. Neurological and genotype assessments were also performed.
Results: A decrease in weight, body mass index (BMI), cutaneous skinfold thickness, fat mass, arm muscle circumference, calf circumference and skeletal muscle mass was observed in SCA2 patients compared to the controls. The total/HDL cholesterol ratio was significantly reduced in patients. BMI was correlated with the age at onset. Overall, anthropometric measures were correlated with clinical markers of disease severity and were more evident in severe and moderate cases.
Conclusions: Using anthropometric measures in the assessment of the nutritional status of SCA2 patients might provide hints about pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie metabolic abnormalities in SCA2. Anthropometric are close related with disease severity and progression, and trigger preventive therapies aimed to ameliorate weight loss and wasting in these patients.