Nutritional status and quality of life at varying degrees of clinical severity of chronic liver disease
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the nutritional status and quality of life in patients according to the clinical severity of liver cirrhosis.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 151 cirrhotics were selected for study. Nutritional assessment was done by anthropometry, subjective global assessment, malnutrition universal screening tool, biochemical estimations and 72‐hour dietary recall. Quality of life was assessed by chronic liver disease questionnaire.
Findings
Child's status was A/B/C in 29/68/59, respectively. Muscle and fat depletion was significantly higher in grade C patients as compared to grade A and B patients. Incidence of malnutrition was lowest in grade A patients (72.4 percent) and highest in grade C patients (90.74 percent) (p = 0.00). Calorie and protein intake was significantly lower in grade C patients compared to grade A and B patients (p = 0.00). Child Pugh score was found to be an independent risk factor for various nutritional and clinical parameters.
Research limitations/implications
The data presented reflect the assessment of a very small cohort of these patients and should be done on a larger scale.
Practical implications
Looking into the high prevalence of malnutrition and the negative impact of disease severity, nutritional assessment of these patients should be done on a regular basis and nutritional therapy planned accordingly.
Originality/value
Data on malnutrition from India are scarce. This study is a small attempt to throw light on the nutritional status and its variation according to clinical severity of liver cirrhosis.
Keywords
Citation
Panagaria, N., Varma, K., Nijhawan, S. and Rai, R.R. (2010), "Nutritional status and quality of life at varying degrees of clinical severity of chronic liver disease", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 40 No. 6, pp. 581-590. https://doi.org/10.1108/00346651011090383
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited