ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of traditional nutritional assessment parameters anthropometric and biochemical, as well as immunological and their usefulness sensitivity and specificity in assessing nutritional status and predicting outcome. It reviews newer immunological tests, such as complement components, thymus-dependent lymphocytes, and monocyte HLA-DR antigens, which have been shown to be predictive of nutritional status and outcome. Assessment of nutritional status is necessary to determine the level of malnutrition so that the approach to specialized nutritional therapy may be considered. A variety of anthropometric, biochemical, and immunological parameters are currently used to assess the nutritional status of hospitalized patients. For years, clinicians have been using immunological tests such as delayed hypersensitivity skin tests and total lymphocyte count as indicators of nutritional status and as predictors of outcome. Skin testing with one or more recall antigens is a tool commonly used to assess the ability of the body to recognize and destroy foreign bacteria.
