[Alcoholic liver disease: nutritional evaluation methods]

Nutritional evaluation is required to treat patients with hepatic disease. A significant correlation was demonstrated between real body weights lean body mass (LMB) with arm muscular area (AMA) (P less than 0.001); LBM of patients with ascites Vs without ascites showed significant differences (P less than 0.02). No significant differences (P greater than 0.1) was demonstrated, when we used the AMA between patients with Vs without ascites. Albumin values showed slight depletion on 20%; 12% had moderate and 4% had very severe depletion, but 64% of patients had normal values. Albumin-transferrin showed very good correlation (P less than 0.001); but there was no correlation between albumin-AMA, transferrin-AMA, transferrin-MMM and albumin-MMM (P greater than 0.05). The lymphocytic count on 53.33% was normal, 37.67% showed light depletion and 9% had moderate; PPDs was greater than 10mm in 60.86%; normal in 17.36%, and not reactive in 21.75%. AMA is a real and ideal nutritional evaluation method, because it is able to correct the errors due to the presence of ascites.