title: Nutrition status and intestinal permeability in patients eligible for liver transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increased intestinal permeability has been reported in multiple studies of cirrhotic patients, although specific factors associated with this finding have not been fully elucidated. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate whether there was an association between nutrition status measured by different methods and intestinal permeability in cirrhotic patients who were candidates for liver transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group comprised 18 cirrhotic patients and 15 healthy controls. Patients' nutrition status was evaluated by Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), anthropometry, dynamometry, and phase angle, which was determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Intestinal permeability was assessed by the lactulose/mannitol test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of malnutrition showed wide variance between different assessment methods (5.5%-77.8%). Intestinal permeability was significantly higher in cirrhotic patients than in healthy controls. In relation to nutrition status, intestinal permeability and phase angle did not differ significantly between patients who were considered well nourished (median intestinal permeability, 0.010 [range, 0.001-0.198]; median phase angle, 6.0 [range, 4.2-6.9]) and malnourished patients (intestinal permeability, 0.032 [range, 0.002-0.079]; phase angle, 4.8 [range, 2.2-6.1]) by SGA. In addition, no correlation was found between nutrition diagnosis as assessed by different methods, patient age, liver disease severity scores, and laboratory measurements with intestinal permeability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although intestinal permeability was increased in cirrhotic patients, this finding was not associated with nutrition status.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Food Science Postgraduate Program juliboredo@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Juliana Costa
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Liboredo
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Eduardo Garcia
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Vilela
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Maria de Lourdes de Abreu
authors.initials: Mde L
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Agnaldo Soares
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Isabel Toulson Davisson
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Correia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010539:Permeability; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cirrhosis; cirrhotic patient; intestinal permeability; liver transplantation; malnutrition; nutrition status; phase angle