Prevalence of protein-energy undernutrition evaluated by the measurement of triceps skinfold thickness and mid-arm muscle circumference of 103 adults with cirrhosis of the liver hospitalized in the department of hepatology and gastroenterology of the Lomé Campus university hospital (Togo)

Objective: To evaluate by a reliable method the protein-energy nutritional status of adults hospitalized in the hepatology and gastroenterology department of the Lomé Campus University Hospital. Methods: This cross-sectional prospective study conducted from March 1 to September 15, 2012, included 103 inpatients aged at least 16 years. The variables evaluated were: triceps skinfold thickness (TST), mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC), serum albumin, CRP, and orosomucoid. The Child-Pugh classification was used to evaluate the clinical severity of liver disease. Results: Within this population of patients with cirrhosis, 40 were alcohol-dependent (39.0%) and 85 had anorexia (82.5%); 49 were in group B of the Child-Pugh classification, and 37 in group C. We found a non-significant (p = 0.324) difference in TST measurement between the three Child- Pugh groups: A (8.4 ± 4.5); B (6.1 ± 3.7); and C (6.4 ± 7.2). The prevalence of protein-energy malnutrition ranged from 52.0% to 82.5%, when evaluated by MAMC or TST. Conclusion: Our results confirm the need to pay additional attention to the protein-energy nutritional status of inpatients in this department, by adding reliable tools, such as the TST and MAMC, to the biochemistry analysis to characterize undernutrition.