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Body composition in patients with short bowel syndrome: An assessment by bioelectric impedance spectroscopy (BIS) and dual–energy absorptiometry (DXA)

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 58, pages 853–859 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective: To describe body composition in patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) by using bioelectric impedance spectroscopy (BIS), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements and anthropometrical-derived estimates.

Subjects: In all, 19 patients were included, mean age 54 y, range 36–77 (F/M=11/8). Mean BMI was 21.5 kg/m2. Eight patients were on home parenteral nutrition (HPN).

Methods: Total body water (TBW), intracellular water and extracellular water were assessed by BIS. TBW were derived from DXA. Fat-free mass (FFM) was assessed by BIS and DXA. TBW and FFM were predicted according to an empirical formula. Differences were analysed using the Bland–Altman method.

Results: The mean difference between TBW (DXA) and TBW (BIS) was −1.1 l in women and −1.8 l in men. For FFM, the mean difference between FFM (DXA) and FFM (BIS) was −1.7 kg in women and −2.5 kg in men. The mean difference between TBW (DXA) and TBW (BIS) for all patients was –1.2 l and limits of agreement were (–7.80−5.40). Hydration of FFM assessed by BIS gave a mean of 0.75 (0.08).

Conclusion: The limits of agreement (Bland–Altman) between DXA and BIS were wide, indicating that methods are not interchangeable, which limits its clinical utility. Most of our patients with SBS were maintained in a stable clinical condition within normal limits of body weight and BMI. FFM and TBW did not appear to be altered in ileostomates or those on HPN.

Sponsorship: The study was supported by grants from the Swedish Medical research Council (17X-03117), Göteborgs Läkarsällskap and IB and A Lundbergs forskningsstiftelse.

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Acknowledgements

This investigation was supported by grants from the Swedish Medical Research Council (17X-03117), Göteborgs Läkarsällskap, and IB och A Lundbergs Forskningsstiftelse.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, University of Göteborg, Sweden

    E Carlsson & S Nordgren

  2. Department of Clinical Nutrition, University of Göteborg, Sweden

    I Bosaeus

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  1. E Carlsson
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  2. I Bosaeus
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  3. S Nordgren
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Correspondence to E Carlsson.

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Carlsson, E., Bosaeus, I. & Nordgren, S. Body composition in patients with short bowel syndrome: An assessment by bioelectric impedance spectroscopy (BIS) and dual–energy absorptiometry (DXA). Eur J Clin Nutr 58, 853–859 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601886

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