PHASE ANGLE AS A SEVERITY INDICATOR FOR LIVER DISEASES

Abstract Objective To evaluate the applicability of phase angle (PhA) as a severity indicator of chronic liver diseases. Methods Medical records of 54 patients: 27 with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 27 with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), ≥18 years. Clinical data, such as Child-Pugh and BCLC (HCC), APRI and FIB-4 (NAFLD), nutritional parameters (body mass index (BMI), handgrip strength (HGS), bioelectrical impedance (BIA) data) were collected. Nutritional risk index (NRI) was calculated. Analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney test and ANOVA. Simple multiple linear regression for predictions (CHILD in HCC, APRI and FIB-4 in NAFLD). ROC curve was estimated to search a cut-off for PhA. For survival, Kaplan-Meier estimator. To verify whether PhA affected patients’ survival, Mantel-Haenszel. Results The prevalence of cirrhosis was high in HCC (n = 25) and low in the NAFLD (n = 4). No patient was classified as undernourished based on BMI; however, NRI showed that 74.1% of patients with HCC had nutritional risk. Child-Pugh was positively correlated with the edema index (ECW/TBW) and negatively correlated with PhA and HGS. Higher Child-Pugh and BCLC scores were associated with worse NRI. APRI and FIB-4 were positively correlated with weight and BMI. A significant difference between groups was found for the median values of R, ECW/TBW, PhA, HGS, and albumin. There was a trend towards lower survival in HCC patients according to the cut-off point of 5.1° for PhA. Conclusion PhA was shown to be an independent prognostic indicator for cirrhosis and may be related to survival in these patients.