Ultrasound Assessment of Sarcopenia in Patients With Chronic Liver Disease: the SARCOLIVER Study

Inclusion Criteria: * Ability to express informed consent * Diagnosis of liver cirrhosis or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or hepatocellular carcinoma based on clinical characteristics, biochemical serum tests and liver imaging examination or liver histologic examination if available Exclusion Criteria: * inability to express informed consent * pregnancy * presence of a concomitant oncologic disease different from hepatocellular carcinoma * presence of a concomitant gastrointestinal disease able to influence the absorption and digestion of nutrients (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, short-bowel syndrome, congenital defects of metabolism) * presence of a concomitant gastrointestinal or neurologic disease able to influence the ability of feeding (e.g. dysphagia, parkinson disease, neuromuscular diseases, diseases of the autonomic nervous system, cognitive impairment or dementia) * chronic kidney disease from stage 3 B (IIIB) according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) classification (eGFR \<45ml/min/1.73m2) * chronic heart failure from stage Ney York Heart Association (NYHA) II * concomitant infection from Mycobacterium Tuberculosis or human immunodeficiency virus or chronic parasitic infections