EP.TU.575One Man's Meat: Nutritional guidance for ileostomy care should consider pre-existing comorbidities

Aims (1) To assess the prevalence of comorbidities which can be influenced by dietary changes in a cohort of our patients with ileostomies and (2) To compare the standard dietary recommendations for these conditions against nutritional advice for patients with ileostomies. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study of patients with ileostomies identified from a prospectively maintained database in January 2020. Patient demographics, comorbidities and records of formal nutritional advice were analysed. Dietary recommendations for common chronic illnesses were obtained through a literature review. Results Twenty-one patients (15 men, 6 women) were included. Median (IQR) age was 63 (51-73) years. The median (IQR) length of time for which patients had ileostomies was 60 (24-144) months. The most common chronic illnesses include hypertension (38%), diabetes (24%) and chronic kidney disease (14%). All patients received standard dietary advice for ileostomy management without consideration of pre-existing comorbidities. Literature review revealed a lack of high-quality evidence for dietary recommendations in patients with ileostomies and conflicting advice for those with comorbidities. Conclusion Existing nutritional guidance for patients with ileostomies lacks a firm evidence base and does not consider the potential modifications required for pre-existing comorbidities.