Pgar For Als Research Paper Introduction

Nutritional support in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

ABSTRACT:
Aim: This review aimed to discuss the nutritional assessments and the perceived benefits of available enteral nutrition interventions in terms of nutritional status, survival, safety and complications in ALS patients.
Findings: Nutritional assessments for ALS patients involve the diagnosis of malnutrition, bulbar dysfunction and respiratory impairment. There are no guidelines about the indication and formulation for enteral nutrition. The reviewed studies support that PEG is beneficial in improving nutritional status and survival and that PRG is an appropriate alternative to PEG for ALS patients with severe respiratory impairment. NGT is generally not recommended and should only be used in short-term when PEG or PRG placement is hazardous. Major limitations of the studies were the use of less rigorous study designs such as observational studies with a small sample size.
Conclusion: Further research should aim to produce enteral nutrition guidelines with recommendations about the indication and formulation of enteral nutrition, and use improved study methodologies to indicate the benefits of enteral nutrition on ALS patients.
(Abbreviations: ALS,
This practice is called enteral nutrition which can be done either by inserting the feeding tube through the nose (nasogastric) or directly through the abdomen into the stomach (gastrostomy). This review discusses the importance of early nutritional assessment and the effectiveness of available nutrition supports on improving nutritional status and life expectancy for ALS patients. This following topics will be discussed: enteral feeding via Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG), Percutaneous Radiological Gastrostomy (PRG) and nasogastric tubes