Nutritional evaluation in cirrhotic patients

Great importance has been given to nutritional evaluation concerning either diagnosis or prognosis, and also involving nutritional support as therapeutic approach. Nutritional evaluation of 32 cirrhotic patients was performed using anthropometric measures as triceps skinfold and arm muscular circumference, and laboratory data: creatinine/height index, serum albumin transferrin; and lymphocyte number in peripheral blood. Non-caloric stores, evaluated by triceps skinfold were extremely low in 81% of the cases studied, while muscular stores, evaluated by arm muscular circumference and creatinine/height index were depleted in respectively 37.5% and 43.7%. Visceral stores evaluated by serum levels of albumin and transferrin, as well as immunological state, measured by peripheral lymphocytes counts, showed severe depletion in 10 to 15% of the patients. The increasing importance of nutrition in hepatic cirrhosis is stressed and interpretation of the different methods used for nutritional evaluation in chronic liver disease is discussed.