"Assessing the Relationship between Sarcopenia and Liver Disease Severity in Child-Pugh A and B Patients"

Abstract

Introduction: The incidence of liver diseases is increasing, and it may be a severe subsequent lifestyle disease. About 50-90% of patients with cirrhosis can have malnutrition. Managing this malnutrition is vital to facilitate clinical outcomes among cirrhotic patients. Sarcopenia is also associated with poor outcomes among patients with cirrhosis.

Aims: To assess the nutritional status in patients with Child-Pugh A and B cirrhosis of the liver. To assess the proportion of sarcopenia in patients with Child-Pugh A and B cirrhosis of the liver. To study the correlation of sarcopenia with the severity of liver cirrhosis.

Materials & Methods: The present study was a Cross-sectional study. This Study was conducted from October 2019 to December 2020 at Outpatients and inpatients of the Department of Medical Gastroenterology at King George Hospital, Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam. Total 100 patients were included in this study.

Result: Anthropometric indicators Triceps skin fold, Mid arm muscle circumference, and Body mass index were used for nutrition assessment. Mean±SD of TSF was 14.1±2.4 with the range of 10-22mm. MAMC ranged from 11.1-27.3 mm with a mean±SD of 19.9±3. BMI ranged from 15.4-31.3 kg/m2 with a mean±SD of 21.4±3.1. A total of 46 patients had below normal TSFT. MAMC was below the usual cut-off in 45 patients. BMI was low in 33 patients.

Conclusion: Sarcopenia is prevalent in the studied cirrhotic patients causing limitation of activities and increases the risk of fall. It was more commonly seen in middle-aged men. The commonest etiology of cirrhosis in sarcopenia was alcohol.