DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF LABORATORY TESTS IN THE ASSESSMENT OF MALNUTRITION IN PATIENTS WITH ULCERATIVE COLITIS

Malnutrition is common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, especially Crohn’s disease. The prevalence of malnutrition is lower in ulcerative colitis (UC), but nutritional deficiencies can develop fast during active disease. There are several laboratory tests for the nutritional assessment of UC patients, but the gold standard has not yet been established. The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of laboratory tests in identifying malnutrition in UC patients. Ninety-six UC patients (M/F=56/40, median age 43 years) were enrolled. The anthropometric assessment included calculation of body mass index (BMI) and measurement of triceps skinfold thickness (TSF) and mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC). Patients with malnutrition were defined as those with BMI <18.5 Kg/m2 or unintentional weight loss >10% in six months and TSF or MAMC <15th percentile. Using the anthropometric criteria as the gold standard, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of various laboratory tests: lymphocyte count, serum total proteins, albumin, prealbumin, transferrin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, creatinine and creatinine height index (CHI).