Malnutrition and Associated Factors Among Patients With Cirrhosis at a Tertiary Care Center in Addis Ababa Ethiopia: An Ordinal Logistic Regression Analysis

Background

Cirrhosis is an irreversible stage of liver damage that decreases the ability of the liver to store and metabolize nutrients. Malnutrition is a common problem in patients with cirrhosis and increases the risk of mortality.

Aims

This study aimed to assess malnutrition and associated factors among patients with cirrhosis at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital. All patients with cirrhosis who were admitted to the hospital from August to November were included. Royal Free Hospital Global Assessment tool (RFH-GA) was used to assess nutritional status. Data were entered in Epi-data software version 4.6.0.2 and analyzed with STATA version 17/MP. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was fitted to determine factors associated with nutritional status. Statistical significance was declared at p value < 0.05.

Results

The prevalence of moderate malnutrition and severe malnutrition were 36.67% and 14.29%, respectively. Patients with ascites were five times at a higher risk of being severely malnourished (AOR = 5.08; 95% CI = 2.66–9.67). The odds of severe malnutrition decrease by 0.35 times for patients without a history of previous hospitalization (AOR = 0.35; 95% CI = 0.18–0.68). The odds of being in the higher category of nutritional status (severe malnutrition) are 10 times higher for patients with hepatic encephalopathy (AOR = 10.43; 95% CI = 4.66–23.31). As the level of creatinine blood urea nitrogen (Cr-BUN) increases, the risk of malnutrition increases by 2.57 times (AOR = 2.57; 95% CI = 1.02–5.78).

Conclusion

Malnutrition is high among cirrhotic patients at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital. Ascites, history of hospitalization, Cr-BUN, and hepatic encephalopathy are significant predictors of malnutrition.