Association between Body Composition and Disease Severity in Patients with Motor Neuron Disease / Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

The change in nutritional status is observed in patients with Motor Neuron Disease, in body composition. The electrical bio impedance method (BIA) determines lean mass, fat mass and phase angle, by estimating total body water. ALSFRS-R is used to monitor the functionality and progression of the disease. Objective: To evaluate the composition with ALSFRS-R. Methodology: Cross-sectional study in adult patients with conclusive diagnosis of MND. For the classification of nutritional status, BMI was used, and for body composition analysis, measurements of lean mass, fat mass, total body water and phase angle. Results: patients, with 54.8% of males with median age of 61.0 years. 77.4% presented the appendicular form of the disease. The median score of ALSFRS-R was 27 points, and the average BMI was 22.6 kg / m2. The phase angle had an average of 3.9 in women, and 4.1 in men. For statistical analysis, results with a probability of type I error lower than 5% (p <0.05 and p <0.001) were considered as statistically significant. The BMI and phase angle were correlated with the scale scores. Conclusion: Nutritional status is directly related to disease progression, and depletion of body compartments influences the functionality of patients with MND.