Alcoholic liver disease and malnutrition.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res
; 35(5): 815-20, 2011 May.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21284673
ABSTRACT
Malnutrition, both protein energy malnutrition (PEM) and deficiencies in individual nutrients, is a frequent complication of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Severity of malnutrition correlates with severity of ALD. Malnutrition also occurs in patients with cirrhosis due to etiologies other than alcohol. The mechanisms for malnutrition are multifactorial, and malnutrition frequently worsens in the hospital due to fasting for procedures and metabolic complications of liver disease, such as hepatic encephalopathy. Aggressive nutritional support is indicated in inpatients with ALD, and patients often need to be fed through an enteral feeding tube to achieve protein and calorie goals. Enteral nutritional support clearly improves nutrition status and may improve clinical outcome. Moreover, late-night snacks in outpatient cirrhotics improve nutritional status and lean body mass. Thus, with no FDA-approved therapy for ALD, careful nutritional intervention should be considered as frontline therapy.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Malnutrition
/
Liver Diseases, Alcoholic
Aspects:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Alcohol Clin Exp Res
Year:
2011
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States
Country of publication:
ENGLAND
/
ESCOCIA
/
GB
/
GREAT BRITAIN
/
INGLATERRA
/
REINO UNIDO
/
SCOTLAND
/
UK
/
UNITED KINGDOM