title: Bioelectrical impedance analysis to assess changes in total body water in patients with cancer.
abstract: Predominantly based on studies in obese individuals, the applicability of single-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to measure changes in total body water and fat-free mass has been questioned. To further clarify this issue, we compared changes in BIA-derived height(2)/resistance (ht(2)/R) with changes in total body water (deuterium dilution, delta-TBWdeu) in cancer patients participating in a clinical trial. Thirty-three patients (mean body mass index 23.2 +/- 3.5 kg/m(2)) were studied after an average follow-up of 11 weeks. Changes in TBWdeu occurred in both directions (mean +0.2 +/- 1.6 L, range -3.3 to +3.1 L). These changes were significantly predicted by changes in ht(2)/R (r(2)0.43, P < 0.0001, SEE 1.22 L), although precision was poor (residual SD 1. 2 L). There were in this regard no significant differences between patients with and without underweight. We conclude that in underweight and normal-weight cancer patients, BIA-derived changes in ht(2)/R significantly predict changes in total body water assessed by deuterium dilution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Simons
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Schols
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Westerterp
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Ten Velde
authors.forename: E F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Wouters
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D001827:Body Height; D001834:Body Water; D001835:Body Weight; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests