Assessment of Nutritional Status and Exploration of Nutritional Concepts among Patients of Cirrhosis

Open Access

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition is prevalent in patients with cirrhosis and has a substantial impact on morbidity and mortality. Lack of nutritional understanding, coupled with misconceptions and dietary myths about liver disease, exacerbates this issue. Owing to the scarcity of available data, this research aimed to evaluate the nutritional condition of hospitalized cirrhotic patients and to investigate their nutritional knowledge and perceptions. Methods & Materials: This descriptive cross-sectional study based in a hospital was carried out for six months within the inpatient Departments of Medicine and Gastroenterology at Rangpur Medical College Hospital following protocol approval. Cirrhotic patients who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited following the acquisition of informed written consent. Data were obtained via clinical assessment, pertinent investigations, and a semi-structured questionnaire created by the researcher, then analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results: The average age was 47.25 ± 12.05 years, with a higher percentage of males (69%). The majority of patients came from lower middle-class backgrounds, with HBV being the primary cause (44.5%). Decompensated cirrhosis occurred in 77%, with Child–Pugh B being the most prevalent. Malnutrition impacted 52.8% as per RFH-SGA and was strongly correlated with disease severity, reduced education and socioeconomic status, and inadequate dietary knowledge (p<0.05). Conclusion: Nutritional status of one fourth to half of the patients of cirrhosis was not satisfactory as evidenced by rate of malnutrition detected by different assessment tools. It is related to both educational status, socio-economic condition as well as dietary knowledge of the patients.