Prevalence and risk factors of malnutrition according to GLIM criteria in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a single-center cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Aim: Malnutrition is common in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The study aimed to evaluate and compare the diagnostic criteria for identifying malnutrition in HCC patients, including Nutrition Risk Screening 2002 (NRS2002), scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), and Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) Criteria, Additionally, we aimed to identify risk factors associated with malnutrition using the GLIM Criteria. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 207 HCC patients, and nutritional screening/assessment results and blood samples were gathered within 72 hours of admission. Kappa values were used to evaluate the performance of the screening tools. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the clinical parameters associated with malnutrition as identified by the GLIM criteria. Results: According to NRS2002, 30.4% of participants were at risk of malnutrition. GLIM criteria and PG-SGA diagnosed malnutrition in 41.1% and 54.6% of participants, respectively. The GLIM criteria accurately detected malnutrition (75.2% accuracy) and non-malnutrition (95.7% accuracy) compared to PG-SGA. Age, Child-Pugh score, anemia, and ascites were significantly associated with malnutrition in multivariate logistic regression. Conclusion: The GLIM criteria are a valuable tool for diagnosing malnutrition in HCC patients, with NRS2002 and PG-SGA as complementary options. Understanding the risk factors for malnutrition can inform timely interventions to improve patient outcomes.