[Influence of the nutritional status on the characteristics of the ascitic fluid in alcoholic hepatic cirrhosis].
A common characteristic of the patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis is malnutrition, which in turn favors a large number of complications. The development of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is partly related to the low concentrations of total proteins an C3 in the ascitic liquid. The objective of the present study has been to analyze the influence of the nutritional state on the characteristics of the ascitic liquid, before and after three weeks of an enteral nutritional support supplement, in a group of patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. On the whole, 38 patients were studied, who received a standard diet of 45 grams of protein and 2308 calories per day, additionally giving 27 of them an enteral diet of 1680 calories, composed of 294 grams of carbohydrates, 36.9 grams of fat, and 43.5 grams of protein in the form of branched chain amino acids. The group of patients supplemented in their diet presented a positive nitrogen balance which was significantly superior to the unsupplemented (p < 0.001). The nutritional state showed a significant improvement after three weeks with an additional enteral diet (p < 0.025). This improvement was translated into an also significant increase in the concentrations of total proteins and C3 of the ascitic liquid in the same group of patients (p < 0.001 for both parameters). These data appear to show that the nutritional support in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis may be a good strategy in the fight against some complications.
Ledesma Castaña
F
F
Servicio Aparato Digestivo, Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Facultad de Medicina, Santander, Cantabria, España.
Casafont Morencos
F
F
Martín Ramos
L
L
Sánchez Hernández
E
E
Ordóñez González
J
J
Pons Romero
F
F
D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000032:analysis; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis
D003176:Complement C3; D011506:Proteins
Influencia del estado nutricional sobre las características del líquido ascítico en cirrosis hepática alcohólica.