Review article

Clinical Nutrition in Gastroenterology

Željko Krznarić

Abstract

Due to the undesirable effects of malnutrition
on the course of a disease, clinical nutrition has become
an important issue in gastroenterology and general internal
medicine. Where possible, nutritional support should be started
before malnutrition has developed, especially in high-risk
patients. Both enteral and parenteral nutrition can meet nutritional
requirements of the majority of patients. Nowadays, it is
generally believed that enteral nutrition should be the therapy
of choice, while parenteral nutrition should be reserved for
patients where the adequate intake of nutritive ingredients
cannot be achieved by the enteral route or where enteral nutrition
is contraindicated. The main advantages of enteral nutrition
over parenteral nutrition include physiologic superiority,
adequate maintenance of both intestinal structure and function,
protection against sepsis and multiple organ failure, gastric
acid buffering effect, lower complication rate and lower costs.
However, we use enteral and parenteral nutrition simultaneously
in many clinical conditions in gastroenterology (IBD, acute
pancreatitis, short-bowel syndrome, hepatic failure). Minimal
enteral nutrition is a well-known term, and most gastroenterologists
are familiar with it. An adequate nutritional support team
is the cornerstone of any activity regarding nutritional support
in internal medicine.

Keywords

malnutrition; enteral nutrition; parenteral nutrition; IBD; Crohn’s disease; ulcerative colitis; liver diseases; acute pancreatitis; chronic pancreatitis; cancer

Hrčak ID:

18845

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/18845

Publication date:

26.1.2006.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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