Influence of nutritional status in the postoperative period of patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are a group of chronic inflammatory diseases that affect the gastrointestinal tract, including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis. Surgery is a treatment option, and more than half of the patients with CD will undergo surgical interventions over the course of the disease. Postoperative complications are common in IBD patients, the most frequent being intra-abdominal sepsis, infection of the surgical site, and adynamic ileum, and nutritional status is a factor that can influence postoperative outcome. Recent studies have shown that malnutrition, obesity, sarcopenia, and myosteatosis are predictors of surgical complications. However, most were retrospective studies with small patient samples and heterogeneity of clinical and nutritional assessment methods, which limit the extrapolation of data. Therefore, knowing the pathophysiological mechanisms of IBD and identifying the best parameters for assessing nutritional status are essential for prompt implementation of adequate nutritional interventions.

Keywords: Inflammatory bowel diseases; Crohn disease; Ulcerative colitis; Nutritional status; Postoperative complications; Surgery

Core Tip: Nutritional status influences the postsurgical results of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Despite the limitations of previously published studies, malnutrition, obesity, sarcopenia, and myosteatosis were identified as negative predictive factors for postoperative complications in people diagnosed with IBDs.