Changes in body composition and strength during initial treatment in malnourished patients with tuberculosis

<b>Background:</b> Malnutrition is common in patients with tuberculosis (TB) and leads to negative changes in body composition, i.e. loss of muscle mass and a decrease in physical function.^1,2 <b>Aims and Objectives:</b> Since it is unclear how body composition and strength change in malnourished patients with drug-susceptible TB, we aimed to assess changes during initial treatment. <b>Methods:</b> Between September 2016 and October 2017 14 patients with drug-susceptible TB admitted to our hospital were diagnosed with malnutrition by the Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment. Patients were assessed within 10 days of the primary start of drug-treatment (T0), after 1 month (T1) and after 2 months (T2) with regard to body weight, BMI, Fat Free Mass (FFM), Phase Angle (PA), and Hand Grip Strength (HGS). Variables were normally distributed and tested for significance by paired sample t-test at P &lt;0.05. <b>Results:</b> <i>N=14 unless stated otherwise</i> <b>Conclusions:</b> Malnourished patients with drug-susceptible TB improve in all parameters of body composition and physical function during initial treatment, especially in the first month after start of treatment except for PA. <b>References:</b> 1. Cederholm, T. et al, Clin Nutr. 2017;36:49–64 2. Frediani, JK et al, Clin Nutr 2016;35(1):205-212.