Anorexia

Molecular Mechanism Contributing to Malnutrition and Sarcopenia in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

“…Anorexia is grossly defined as the loss of the desire to eat and is almost invariably associated with reduced food intake with severe deterioration of patient’s nutritional status [ 52 , 53 ]. Contributing to DRM, anorexia is a major symptom associated with liver cirrhosis and of paramount importance [ 29 , 54 ] as it manifests with severe malnutrition and organ failure [ 55 ].…”

“…Anorexia may be triggered by an imbalance between orexigenic and anorexigenic hormones, by the chronic increase in circulating proinflammatory cytokines, zinc and vitamin A deficiency, delayed gastric emptying and portal hypertension resulting in gastric and intestinal tissue congestion as well extrinsic compression due to ascites [ 15 , 32 , 44 , 49 , 57 ]. Anorectic patients present with early satiety, smell and taste disorders and meat aversion as well as nausea/vomiting [ 53 ].…”

“…It is encoded by the ob gene and has a well-established key function in maintaining body weight [ 65 , 66 , 67 ]. Leptin plays a fundamental role in understanding the control of energy balance [ 53 ]. It not only suppresses appetite but also increases energy expenditure, whereby the mechanism of action in the hypothalamic nuclei is antagonistic to ghrelin; in that leptin inhibits NPY and AGRP expression [ 50 ].…”