The Dietary Intake of Patients With Decompensated Cirrhosis Is Less Than the Prescribed Half: It Is Not Enough to Prescribe, It Is Necessary to Monitor

• Published in: Current developments in nutrition Vol. 5; no. Supplement_2; p. 50
• Main Authors: Saueressig, Camila, Ferreira, Pâmela Kremer, Glasenapp, Joana Hoch, Dall’Alba, Valesca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.06.2021; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Aging and Chronic Disease
• ISSN: 2475-2991; 2475-2991
• DOI: 10.1093/cdn/nzab033_050

The objective of this study was to compare the prescribed nutrition with dietary intake in hospitalized patients with decompensated cirrhosis. This is a cross-sectional study performed with hospitalized decompensated cirrhotic patients. The individual nutritional requirements were determined through the registered dietitian and the patient’s nutrition prescription was checked from the electronic medical records. A one-day food record was applied to all participants, who received prior guidance on how to properly report their meals. Data are expressed as mean ± SD or median [interquartile range]. The student’s t-test was used to compare variables with a parametric distribution and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for those with a non-parametric distribution. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. This study included 94 patients with a mean age of 60.3 ± 9.3 years and 64.8% were men. The main etiology of cirrhosis was hepatitis C (27.6%). Ascites was the most common complication, with a prevalence of 73.4%. The mean energy prescribed and the actual mean dietary intake were 2191.25 ± 295.77 kcal/d (31.25 ± 7.7 kcal/kg/d) and 1289.40 ± 509.71 kcal/d (18.61 ± 7.93 kcal/kg/d), respectively. The actual mean dietary intake was 902.68 ± 475.08 kcal/d less than the energy prescribed, p < 0.001. The median protein prescribed and the actual median protein intake were 94 g/d [88.9–110] (1.4 g/kg/d [1.2–1.7]) and 51.44 g/d [34.79–64.84] (0.7 g/ptn/d [0.5–0.9]), respectively. The actual median protein intake was 48.69 g/d [34.07–64.70] less than the protein prescribed, P < 0.001. The mean carbohydrate prescribed and the actual mean carbohydrate intake were 304.77 ± 80.74 g/d and 179.65 ± 73.62 g/d, respectively. The actual mean carbohydrate intake was 124.57 ± 96.82 less than the carbohydrate prescribed, P < 0.001. The results of this study demonstrate that patients with decompensated cirrhosis have inadequate food intake. Encourage eating and monitoring of the daily food intake should be part of the management of these patients and occur throughout hospitalization. This study was supported by a CAPES and FIPE/HCPA scholarship. The sources of funding were not involved in study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data.