ObjectiveTo explore the changes of serum irisin in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients with sarcopenia.MethodsFrom January to June 2019, 56 MHD patients from Shanxi Provincial People’s Hospital were selected. Judging by the results of body composition analyzer, the MHD patients were divided into the sarcopenia group (n=31) and the non-sarcopenia group (n=25). The serum irisin level was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The muscle cross-sectional area at the third lumbar level was measured by CT. SPSS 21.0 software was used for inter-group comparison, correlation analysis, and regression analysis.ResultsThe serum irisin concentration in the sarcopenia group was lower than that in the non-sarcopenia group [medium (lower quartile, upper quartile): 175.46 (126.00, 220.52) vs. 459.10 (233.83, 616.91) pg/mL; Z=−4.195, P<0.001]. The results of Spearman correlation analysis showed that serum irisin level was positively correlated with lean tissue index (rs=0.265, P=0.048), however negatively correlated with serum creatinine level (rs=−0.311, P=0.020). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that serum irisin level [odds ratio (OR)=0.957, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.925, 0.990), P=0.012], walking speed [OR=0.000, 95%CI (0.000, 0.050), P=0.031], and grip strength [OR=0.658, 95%CI (0.434, 0.997), P=0.048] were protective factors of sarcopenia in MHD patients.ConclusionsThe level of circulating irisin in MHD patients with sarcopenia is lower than that in MHD patients without sarcopenia. Irisin is a protective factor of sarcopenia in MHD patients.