Nutrición y cirrosis hepática

Abstract

As an entity, Liver Cirrhosis (LC) is present with varying frequencies from country to country. Although its causes can be varied, alcoholic and viral factors are the most frequent ones. Malnutrition prevalence is high among cirrhotic patients because of the concurrence of a hypercatabolic state in one hand, and increased energy and nutrients requirements along with inadequate dietetic habits on the other, all of these factors difficulting nutritional replenishment. Feeding of the cirrhotic
patient is dependent upon the clinical status of the liver disease, be either compensated or uncompensated (hepatic encephalopathy, digestive bleedings, ascitis, hepatorenal syndrome). In the first case, diet will be established following the principles of a healthy diet. Regarding those patients with uncompensated signs of the hepatic disease, recommendations will be set forth based on the response of the patient to the medical treatment. Energy metabolism can be used as a predictive criterion. Proper nutrition of these patients is as important as the pharmacological treatment of the disease and its complications, because allow us to perform actions oriented to improve their quality of life. Henceforth, the importante of knowing accurately the
metabolic changes that ocurrs in this disease.