Background: Nutritional status and adiposity have not been studied to a significant extent in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The aim of this study was to determine the trends in anthropometric indices and assess their impact on patients with SAH.
Methods: We prospectively studied in 56 patients with SAH, the triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), mid-arm circumference (MAC), mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC), and other factors, and their relationship to clinical vasospasm and mortality.
Results: The median MAC decreased significantly from 29.3 cm (interquartile range [IQR] 28-31 cm) at admission to 27 cm (IQR 26-29 cm) at 1-week (P < 0.001). The median TSF decreased significantly from 34 mm (IQR 30-40 mm) at admission to 30 mm (IQR 25-35 mm) at 1-week (P < 0.001). MAMC values did not show a significant change over a week. The patients who developed clinical vasospasm had significantly higher median admission TSF of 40 mm (IQR 35-45 mm), compared to the median admission TSF of 35 mm (IQR 30-40 mm) among those who did not develop vasospasm (P = 0.03). MAMC values did not differ significantly in relation to vasospasm. Patients who expired by 3 months had significantly greater fall in median MAMC values at 1-week (7.7% [IQR 5.2-11.5%]), compared to the fall in median MAMC values at 1-week among those who were alive at 3 months (2.6% [IQR 2.1-6.6%]) [P = 0.03]. However, the fall in TSF values did not differ significantly in relation to mortality. In multivariate analysis, only the admission TSF, Hunt and Hess and Fisher grades had a significant association with vasospasm. This association was independent of other prognostic factors and of each other.
Conclusion: Excessive adiposity of patients, measured as an increased TSF value, is significantly associated with clinical vasospasm independent of other prognostic factors, while fall in MAMC, indicating somatic protein catabolism, has some impact on mortality.