Assessment of nutritional status and quality of life of patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis
Journal Title: Postępy Nauk Medycznych - Year 2010, Vol 23, Issue 1
Abstract
Introduction: Excessive ethanol consumption results in alcoholic liver disease, and eventually in liver cirrhosis. The aim of the study was to assess nutritional status and quality of life of patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis with relation to liver dysfunction and patients gender.Material and methods: The study comprised 125 subjects, 100 patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and 25 healthy volunteers. Based on the Child-Pough score cirrhotics were divided into three groups: Child A (group I), Child B (group II) and Child C (group III). Nutritional status was assessed by serum albumin and anthropometry (BMI, triceps skinfold tickness, arm muscle circumference). The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was used for quality of life evaluation.Results: Low serum albumin (<40 g/dl) was demonstrated in 47% of cirrhotic patients. The percentages of subjects with low serum albumin were substantially higher in group III compared to group II (p=0.003); and in groups I and III compared to control group (p=0.04 and p=0.00007, respectively). The triceps skinfold ticknesses of cirrhotic females (p<0.0001) and males (p<0.01) were significantly lower than of healthy subjects. There were trends towards lower values of other anthropometric parameters in cirrhotics compared to controls (p>0.05). Patients with liver cirrhosis, regardless of its stage, scored significantly lower in respective domains of quality of life than controls: physical health p<0.00001, psychological domain p<0.0001, social relations p<0.01, and environment p<0.001.Conclusions: Malnutrition is common in patients at every stage of liver cirrhosis and it intensifies with disease progression. Alcoholic liver cirrhosis markedly impairs the quality of life. Essential components of cirrhosis therapy include management not only of clinical symptoms but also psychological dysfunction.
Authors and Affiliations
Ewa Krzyżanowska, Iwona Jastrzębska, Agnieszka Zwolak, Beata Kasztelan-Szczerbińska, Cezary Łozowski, Jadwiga Daniluk
Keywords
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