Dietary Patterns and Nutritional Status of Patients with Early Stages Liver Cirrhosis

Document Type : Research articles

Authors

1 The Secondary Technical Nursing School, Kafr El-Sheikh

2 Medical Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University

3 Medical Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University Abstract

Abstract

Liver cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver does not function properly due to long-term
damage. Early nutritional assessment and intervention are imperative to prevent further catabolism
and malnutrition in liver cirrhosis. Moreover, dietary patterns mean the quantities, proportions,
variety or combinations of different foods and beverages in diets, and the frequency with which they
are habitually consumed. And nutritional status is the condition of health of a person that is influenced
by the intake and utilization of nutrients. Objective: Assess dietary patterns and nutritional status of
patients with early stages liver cirrhosis. Setting: The study was conducted at Medical outpatients
clinic at Saidy Salim General Hospital affiliated to Ministry of Health and Population at Kafr El-
Sheikh Governorate. Subjects: 254 adult patients diagnosed early stage liver cirrhosis were involved
in this study. Tool: One tool was used for data collection; early stage liver cirrhosis patients dietary
patterns and nutritional status structured interview schedule. Results: More than two thirds of studied
patients (73.6%) were ≥50 years. And more than half of them (59.1%) were females. Also, no severe
symptoms were experienced among the study patients, and the majority of them (78.6%) were having
mild symptoms, and about (41.3%) were having moderate symptoms. Moreover, no significant
correlations were elicited between overall dietary patterns and patients nutritional status.
Conclusion: High prevalence of malnutrition in early stages cirrhotic patients together with the lack
of simple and accurate methods of assessment of malnutrition among these patients' population, it is
reasonable to assume that malnutrition occurs in all patients. Recommendations: Regular and
complete nutritional assessment of liver cirrhosis patients should be carried out for early detection
and treatment of malnutrition. Nutritional health education program must be organized for early
stages liver cirrhotic patients in order to limit the occurrence of further malnutrition and its
complications.

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