Changes in the Pattern of Visceral Protein Concentrations after Internal Biliary Drainage in Patients with Obstructive Jaundice

Objective: To evaluate the influence of internal drainage on status of nutritional markers in patients with obstructive jaundice.Dessing: Prospective longitudinal study.Setting: University hospital, Spain.Subjects: 39 patients with obstructive jaundice (18 benign and 21 malignant obstructions).Interventions: Nutritional state was assessed before and 10 days after endoscopic drainage.Main outcome measures: One anthropometric (body weight < 95% of ideal) and two biochemical (albumin <35 g/L and prealbumin <170 mg/L) as an indication of protein calorie malnutrition. Retinol binding protein and transferrin concentrations, total lymphocyte count, and nutritional prognostic index (NPI) were also measured.Results: Thirty patients (77%) had protein calorie malnutrition. After internal drainage, 6 patients with benign obstruction and 11 with malignant tumours remained malnourished. No anthropometric variables or concentrations of proteins with long half-lives were affected by drainage. However, prealbumin (p < 0.0...