Methods for Nutritional Assessment in Cirrhosis

Nutritional status in patients with cirrhosis has been shown to have a direct influence on the prognosis of these patients, it is related to higher mortality and it has been linked to the developement and perpetuation of certain complications such as hepatic encephalopathy, ascites and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Despite the importance of nutritional status in this patients, most of the methods for its assessment are still not completely reliable or not easily accessible; therefore, evaluating nutritional status in the daily clinical practice is still a complex task.