Comparison of Two Nutritional Screening Tools for the Detection of Malnutrition in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating two nutritional screening questionnaires, the Royal Free Hospital Nutritional Prioritizing Tool (RFH-NPT) and the Liver Disease Undernutrition Screening Tool (LDUST), in patients with liver cirrhosis. The study aims to compare how well these tools detect the risk of malnutrition in cirrhotic patients, a group for whom traditional screening methods have limitations due to disease-related changes like ascites. The study also looks at the prevalence of sarcopenia and its impact on patients' quality of life. Participants will be screened using both RFH-NPT and LDUST questionnaires, followed by a complete nutritional assessment based on new diagnostic criteria promoted by the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition. Additionally, sarcopenia risk will be assessed using the SARC-F questionnaire, and quality of life will be measured with the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire. All assessments occur within 48 hours for primary and secondary outcomes, with adverse clinical outcomes monitored over 6 months. During the study, patients will undergo detailed nutritional and sarcopenia assessments along with quality of life questionnaires. Researchers will track malnutrition diagnosis agreement between tools, prevalence of malnutrition and sarcopenia, quality of life scores, and any adverse clinical events over six months. This observational study does not involve assigned treatments but focuses on validating screening tools to better detect malnutrition risk in liver cirrhosis patients.

Comparison of Nutritional Screening Tools in Liver Cirrhosis Patients