Malnutrition among Patients with Liver Cirrhosis in a Tertiary Care Centre

Introduction: Cirrhosis of the liver is a progressively worsening condition. Nutritional interventions to improve the nutritional status of malnourished patients can significantly enhance prognosis. Traditional methods of nutritional assessment, such as body mass index and waist circumference, are often unreliable. This study aims to find out the prevalence of malnutrition among patients with cirrhosis in a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital from 01 December 2022 to 01 May 2023 after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board. Patients at any stage of liver cirrhosis were included in the study. Patients with hepatic encephalopathy, variceal bleeding, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, tuberculosis, chronic renal failure, hepatocellular carcinoma, or any malignancy were excluded from the study. Convenience sampling method was used. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel 2016 and descriptive statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics version 16.0. Point estimate and 90%confidence interval were calculated. Results: Among 54 patients with cirrhosis, malnutrition was seen among 22 (40.74%) [29.77%–51.71%, 90% Confidence Interval] according to mid-upper arm muscle circumference, 32 (59.26%) according to triceps skin fold thickness, and 36 (66.67%) as per hand grip strength. Conclusions: The prevalence of malnutrition among patients with cirrhosis was found to be lower than the studies done in similar settings.