Association between phase angle, sarcopenia and clinical markers in patients with hepatic cirrhosis.

phase angle, sarcopenia, hepatic cirrhosis

Patients with hepatic cirrhosis present clinical and nutritional alterations that may be associated with sarcopenia, inflammation and worse prognosis of the disease. Phase angle assessment allows the identification of the cellular integrity level, which could be a useful marker to predict a higher risk of sarcopenia and unfavorable outcomes in these individuals. Objective: To evaluate the association between lower phase angle value and changes in clinical and nutritional markers in patients with hepatic cirrhosis. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study associated with a prospective cohort of 122 male patients diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. For the diagnosis of sarcopenia, we considered the DXA index of appendicular skeletal muscle mass below 7.0 kg / m2 and the non- dominant grip strength (FAM-ND) of less than 27 kg. The etiology, age, presence of hepatic encephalopathy, MELD and Child-pugh scores were collected from updated data and available in patients' records. An anthropometric evaluation and electrical bioimpedance were performed to obtain the phase angle. Patients were grouped according to the phase angle value: AF> 4.9 ° or AF ≤ 4.9 °. Forthe descriptive analyzes frequencies and dispersion measures were used according to the behavior of the variables. Differences between the groups were assessed using the Student t or Chi-square test. Pearson's correlation test was applied for the evaluation of FA with clinical, nutritional and inflammatory markers. The logistic regression model was used to examine factors related to the lowest phase angle value. The area of the ROC curve was calculated to identify the diagnostic power of sarcopenia hair phase angle. Results: Patients with AF≤4.9owere young adults (p <0.001), with Child Pugh B prevalence (p <0.03), presented sarcopenia (p <0.037), exhibited lower values of non-dominant grip strength p <0.00) and had hepatic encephalopathy (p <0.016). In addition, the value ofAF≤5.05 was able to predict with high sensitivity the diagnosis of sarcopenia inthe study population. Conclusion: The lower value of the phase angle can be considered as a good marker of clinical and nutritional changes in male patients diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver.