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Phase Angle Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) as a Biomarker Tool for Liver Disease

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Biomarkers in Liver Disease

Abstract

Cirrhotic patients may present body asymmetry and presence of ascites and edema, and the assessment of nutritional status is limited and fails when using the methods of anthropometric assessment. In addition, scores currently used, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) and Child–Turcotte–Pugh, have limitations as to predict the prognosis of these patients. In this sense, as a complementary evaluation for liver disease, the analysis of the phase angle (PA) by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) could be a new biological method to be used.

The BIA is a noninvasive method for evaluation of body composition, easy to perform, and fast, reproducible, and economical and can be performed in outpatient or inpatient. It tells us the nutritional status of patients by estimating the amount of lean body mass, fat mass, body water, and cell mass. The method also allows the assessment of patient’s prognosis through the PA, which has been applied in patients with various diseases, including chronic liver disease. The phase angle varies according to the population and, in our environment, if we adopt the value of 5.4° as the cutoff point; values above represent a good prognosis and below this a poor prognosis.

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Abbreviations

AC:

Arm circumference

AMC:

Arm muscle circumference

APMT:

Abductor pollicis muscle

BCM:

Body cell mass

BIA:

Bioelectrical impedance analysis

CCl4:

Carbon tetrachloride

CHF:

Congestive heart failure

CMR:

Cardiac magnetic resonance

COPD:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

DEN:

Diethylnitrosamine

EAT:

Epicardial adipose tissue

ECW:

Extracellular water

EF:

Extracellular fluid

ES:

Extracellular solids

FFM:

Fat-free mass

FM:

Fat mass

HAART:

Highly active antiretroviral therapy

HCV:

Hepatitis C virus

HGS:

Hand grip strength

HIV:

Human immunodeficiency virus

ICW:

Intracellular water

MELD:

Model for End-Stage Liver Disease

MF-BIA:

Multiple-frequency bioimpedance analysis

PA:

Phase angle

PCM:

Protein caloric malnutrition

R:

Resistance

SF-BIA:

Single-frequency bioimpedance analysis

SPA:

Standardized phase angle

TBARS:

Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances

TBW:

Total body water

Xc:

Reactance

Z:

Impedance

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Post Graduate Program in Medicine: Hepatology, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Sarmento Leite St, 245, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Cláudio Augusto Marroni, Daniella Miranda & Laura Boemeke

  2. Post Graduate Program in Bioscience and Rehabilitation; Post Graduate Program in Rehabilitation and Inclusion, IPA Methodist University, Sarmento Leite St, 245, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Sabrina Alves Fernandes

Authors
  1. Cláudio Augusto Marroni
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  2. Daniella Miranda
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  3. Laura Boemeke
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  4. Sabrina Alves Fernandes
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Cláudio Augusto Marroni , Daniella Miranda , Laura Boemeke or Sabrina Alves Fernandes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom

    Vinood B. Patel

  2. Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences Research Division, Faculty of Life Science and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

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Marroni, C.A., Miranda, D., Boemeke, L., Fernandes, S.A. (2017). Phase Angle Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) as a Biomarker Tool for Liver Disease. In: Patel, V., Preedy, V. (eds) Biomarkers in Liver Disease. Biomarkers in Disease: Methods, Discoveries and Applications. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7675-3_43

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