Malnutrition risk questionnaire combined with body composition measurement in malnutrition screening in inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

The purpose of malnutrition screening is to predict the probability of a worse outcome due to nutritional factors. The Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) can be used for screening in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, it does not provide details about body composition. Our aim was to assess the body composition and combine this with the MUST method to screen risk of malnutrition and sarcopenia. A total of 173 IBD outpatients were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The MUST scale indicated 21.4% of IBD patients to be at risk of malnutrition. A risk of sarcopenia was detected in 27.7%. However, one third of these patients were not considered to be at risk by their MUST score. Furthermore, Crohn's disease (CD) patients had a strongly unfavorable fat-free mass index (FFMI) value compared to ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, and these differences were significant among men (FFMI: 18.62 ± 2.16 vs 19.85 ± 2.22, p = 0.02, in CD and UC males, respectively). As sarcopenia is a relevant prognostic factor, the MUST method should be expanded to include body composition analysis to detect more IBD patients at risk of malnutrition and sarcopenia in order to start their nutritional therapy immediately.

Associations among body composition, inflammatory profile and disease extent in ulcerative colitis patients

“…This may vary from only mild alterations in trace elements to severe malnutrition with great weight loss due to the involvement of the gastroin-testinal tract and its effects on food intake and absorption. 4,[22][23][24] Malnutrition is especially common in active UC patients after long-term hospitalization; 11,25 however, few studies have evaluated the nutritional status in patients with UC during remission. 4,12,26,27 Only one trial found a more compromised nutritional status (body weight and BMI) in UC patients during remission than in a control group.…”

Anthropometric Assessment After Proctocolectomy Due to Ulcerative Colitis

“…Patients suffering from UC lose nutrition because of the nature of the disease and its related clinical manifestations (1, 2). Approximately 23.4% of patients with UC are malnourished (4). An improved nutritional status results in lower postoperative complication rates, and in some cases can even prevent surgery by reducing the activity of the disease (5)(6)(7)(8).…”

Nutritional Screening and Clinical Outcome in Hospitalized Patients with Crohn’s Disease

“…Given that many hospitalized CD patients have reduced intake, which results in loss of body weight, the MUST may not be a useful screening tool for CD patients. Furthermore, Csontos et al [24] reported that the MUST did not provide sufficient information to enable selection and follow-up of potentially at-risk CD patients in outpatient care. Recently, Velasco et al [25] used various nutritional screening tools to assess hospitalized patients and found relatively good agreement between the SGA, MUST, and NRS 2002.…”