title: Body mass index: different nutritional status according to WHO, OPAS and Lipschitz classifications in gastrointestinal cancer patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The body mass index (BMI) is the most common marker used on diagnoses of the nutritional status. The great advantage of this index is the easy way to measure, the low cost, the good correlation with the fat mass and the association to morbidity and mortality.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare the BMI differences according to the WHO, OPAS and Lipschitz classification.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study on 352 patients with esophageal, gastric or colorectal cancer was done. The BMI was calculated and analyzed by the classification of WHO, Lipschitz and OPAS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age was 62.1 ± 12.4 years and 59% of them had more than 59 years. The BMI had not difference between the genders in patients <59 years (P = 0.75), but over 59 years the BMI was higher in women (P<0.01). The percentage of undernourished was 7%, 18% and 21% (P<0.01) by WHO, Lipschitz and OPAS, respectively. The overweight/obesity was also different among the various classifications (P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the patients with gastrointestinal cancer had more than 65 years. A different cut off must be used for this patients, because undernourished patients may be wrongly considered well nourished.
authors: Gastroenterology Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors: Katia
authors: K
authors: Barao
authors: Nora Manoukian
authors: NM
authors: Forones
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010175:Pan American Health Organization; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014944:World Health Organization