Malnutrition negatively impacts the quality of life of patients with cirrhosis: An observational study

Table 1 Comparison between the patient characteristics according to the self-perception of quality of life

Characteristic	Good quality of life (n = 51)	Impairment of quality of life (n = 76)	P
Male	24 (47.1)	33 (43.4)	0.69
Age (yr)	54.8 ± 10.3	53.7 ± 13.5	0.61
Decompensated or Child B/C	30 (58.8)	63 (82.9)	0.003
Etiology
Alcohol	28 (55.0)	40 (52.7)	0.83
Viral	9 (17.6)	15 (19.7)
NASH	2 (3.9)	1 (1.3)
Cryptogenic	8 (15.7)	13 (17.1)
Autoimmune	4 (7.8)	7 (9.2)
Weight in kg	65.2 ± 14.9	63.7 ± 13.4	0.55
Body mass index (kg/m2)	26.6 ± 5.2	26.8 ± 4.0	0.32
Triceps skinfold thickness (cm)	1.4 ± 0.7	1.4 ± 0.8	0.79
Mid-arm circumference (cm)	26.4 ± 4.7	23.9 ± 3.7	0.001
Ideal mid-arm muscle circumference (cm)	22.1 ± 4.1	19.6 ± 2.8	< 0.0001
Malnourished according to SGA	14 (27.5)	55 (72.4)	< 0.0001
Presence of ascites	19 (37.3)	48 (63.2)	0.004
Need for paracentesis	7 (13.7)	25 (32.9)	0.02
Development of variceal bleeding	12 (23.5)	18 (23.7)	0.98
Development of hepatic encephalopathy	19 (37.3)	30 (39.5)	0.80
Bacterial infection requiring hospitalization	6 (11.8)	14 (18.4)	0.45
Any complication requiring hospitalization	32 (62.7)	62 (81.6)	0.02

Categorical variables are expressed as n (%), and compared by χ² or Fisher’s exact test. Numeric variables are expressed as median and SD, and compared by Student’s t-test. Statistical significance was considered as a P-value of < 0.05. NASH: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; SGA: Subjective global assessment.