Recruiting

Monitoring muscle loss and liver disease progression over two years

Plain-English translation of NCT05502198 on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗ ·

· Source last updated August 2023

· Translation generated June 2026

What is this trial?

This is an observational study that monitors patients with liver cirrhosis over 24 months. Researchers want to understand how muscle loss (a condition called sarcopenia) develops in people with advanced liver disease and how it affects their overall health, survival, and quality of life. The study uses imaging, blood tests, and physical assessments to track these changes.

Muscle loss is a serious problem in advanced liver disease, but doctors don't yet have good tools to detect and monitor it quickly. This study aims to develop better, non-invasive ways to identify patients at risk and understand whether muscle loss can predict who will have worse outcomes.

Do you qualify?

You likely qualify if…

you have been diagnosed with liver cirrhosis (either confirmed by biopsy or probable based on imaging, symptoms, or other clinical findings)
you are 18 years old or older
you are willing to give written consent to participate

You likely don't qualify if…

you have a medical implant or condition that makes MRI scans unsafe for you
you have been diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (a specific liver disease)
you have been diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer)
you have previously received a liver transplant

What participation looks like

You will visit the hospital four times over about two years (five visits if your imaging shows a certain finding), with visits spaced roughly six months apart and scheduled alongside your regular clinic appointments. At each visit, you'll have imaging scans (ultrasound-like and MRI), blood work, physical function tests (like grip strength and walking speed), and questionnaires about your quality of life and symptoms. The entire study commitment is approximately 24 months.

AI-generated summary from trial data · Jun 2, 2026 · Not medical advice

Trial locations(3 sites)

Sweden

Department of Gastroenterology), District Hospital in Eksjö, Eksjö

Department of gastroenterology, County Hospital in Jönköping, Jönköping

Department of gastroenterology and hepatology, Linköping

Key details

Sponsor

Linkoeping University

Collaborators

Amra Medical AB

Enrollment target

~150 participants

Started

February 2021

Primary completion

June 2025

This trial's estimated completion date has passed — the record may not be fully up to date.

Age range

18 Years and older

Last updated on clinicaltrials.gov in August 2023.

Contact the research team directly

Reach out to the team running this trial. Response times vary — some teams are faster than others.

Central contact

Mattias Ekstedt, MD, PhD

Linkoeping University

Interested in joining?

Tell us you're interested and we'll help connect you with the research team. We'll walk you through what to expect first — no email needed to get started.

View full record on ClinicalTrials.gov