Factors associated with nutritional status in liver transplant patients who survived the first year after transplantation.
OBJECTIVE
Most studies published focus on the evaluation of the impact of nutritional status on the morbidity and mortality during the immediate postoperative period or on the short-term evolution of liver transplant patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate long-term trends in nutritional status.


METHODS
Seventy patients consecutively submitted to liver transplantation were studied. Nutritional assessment was performed the day before transplantation and the 45, 90, 180 and 365 days after transplantation, consisting of determination of dietary intake, anthropometric and biochemical analysis.


RESULTS
Sixty-nine percent of the patients presented with malnutrition on the day before liver transplantation, decreasing to 44% at end of the first year. The prevalence of protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) was 63% at 90 days post-transplant. A significant difference of PCM was observed between patients with cirrhosis and non-cirrhotic disease (53.6% x 100%) at 90 days post-transplant. The pre-transplant nutritional diagnosis and 90-day calorie intake were identified as variables independently associated with nutritional status at 90 days post-transplant. The variables independently associated with nutritional status in the 1-year assessment were pre-transplant PCM and 365-day calorie requirements.


CONCLUSIONS
No influence on nutritional status was observed for peri- or postoperative factors after 3 or 12 months of follow up. As expected, dietary factors, especially adequate calorie intake, were always associated with nutritional status during all periods analyzed.
de Carvalho
Luciana
L
Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil. lucarv@gastro.epm.br
Parise
Edison Roberto
ER
Samuel
Didier
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D015415:Biomarkers