Randomised clinical trial: enteral nutrition does not improve the long-term outcome of alcoholic cirrhotic patients with jaundice

Background Malnutrition and jaundice are independent prognostic factors in cirrhosis. Aim To assess the impact of enteral nutrition on the survival of alcoholic cirrhotic patients with jaundice but without acute alcoholic hepatitis.. Methods The study was a multicentre prospective randomised controlled trial comparing effects of enteral nutrition vs. a symptomatic support in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and jaundice (bilirubin > 51 j.unol/L) but without severe acute alcoholic hepatitis. A total of 99 patients were randomised to receive either the conventional symptomatic treatment (55 patients) or the symptomatic support associated with 35 kcal/Kg/day of enteral nutrition during 4 weeks followed by an oral nutritional support during 2 months (44 patients). Randomisation was stratified on nutritional status. One-year survival curves were compared using the Kaplan Meier method and Logrank test. Results Populations in both arms were similar. One-year survival was similar in the overall population (27/44 patients (61.4%) in the enteral nutrition arm vs. 36/55 (65.5%) in the control arm; Logrank P 0.60) and in the subgroup suffering from malnutrition [18/29 patients (62.1%) in the enteral nutrition arm vs. 20/32 (62.5%) in the control arm; Logrank P 0.991. There was no statistical difference for bilirubin, prothrombin rate, Child-Pugh score, albumin or nutritional assessment. Complications during treatment (bleeding, encephalopathy, infection) occurred in 23% of patients in the enteral nutrition group (10/44) vs. 16% (9/55) of the control patients (P 0.59). Conclusion Enteral nutrition does not improve the survival and hepatic or nutritional parameters or cirrhotic patients with jaundice.