The use of prealbumin as a predictor of malnutrition in cirrhotic patients and the effect of nutritional support in patients with low prealbumin levels

Prealbumin can be used as an easily measured parameter for earlier detection of malnutrition in patients with cirrhosis and without clinically apparent malnutrition. Oral nutritional support, especially with products containing relatively high carbohydrate levels and low protein, may have a favorable effect on MELD scores.