Efficiency of anthropometric indicators in the assessment of protein nutrition in Crohn's disease.

A comparison was made of the efficiency of different anthropometric indicators in assessing serum albumin and prealbumin concentrations in 60 adult patients with Crohn's disease. Indicators included weight, mid-arm circumference and triceps skinfold thickness at different cut-off points of reference (Jelliffe, 1966) and at the 5th percentile. Mid-arm circumference at 90 per cent reference gave the most significant separation of serum albumin and prealbumin, and protein concentrations in patients whose mid-arm circumference was at or above 90 per cent reference approached most closely the values obtained in healthy subjects. Mid-arm circumference is a simple and reproducible measurement, and the results support the suggestion that it is a useful indicator for assessing protein nutrition in Crohn's disease.