Abstract
Evaluation of protein intake of patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) would facilitate optimal nutritional support. However, it has never been done on the basis of urinary urea nitrogen (UUN). The aim of this study, therefore, is to determine the usefulness of the estimated protein intake (EPI) based on UUN in patients with LC. A total of 42 patients with early-stage LC were enrolled in this study. The actual protein intake (API) was defined as the dietary protein intake (1.0 g/kg/d) plus supplementation of any enteral diets containing branched-chain amino acids (BCAA). We calculated EPI from UUN using the formula [UUN (g/d) + 0.031 x body weight (kg)] x 0.625. We examined the correlation between EPI and API, the EPI/API ratio (EAR), and the correction based on the results. A significant positive correlation was found between API and EPI (r = 0.703, p < 0.001). The EAR in all patients was 0.84 +/- 0.11. EPI times 1.2 was the correction needed to adjust EAR to 1. The corrected EPI was correlated with API (r = 0.704, p < 0.001). The corrected EAR of all 42 patients was 1.01 +/- 0.13. In conclusion, for patients with early-stage LC, an EPI calculated from UUN may be a useful tool for optimal nutritional support. The corrected EPI would be very useful for improved monitoring of early-stage LC.
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