A poor nutritional status has repeatedly been described in advanced liver cirrhosis, but the exact prevalence of the defect and its relation to the aetiology and severity of liver disease in the Italian population are only partly known. Anthropometric measurements were carried out in 200 patients with cirrhosis (135 M, 65 F). Liver disease was related to alcohol abuse in 77 cases, but most patients had stopped alcohol for at least 6 months before study. In comparison to a normal elderly Italian and to an age-matched North-American population, 5 to 45% of male patients with cirrhosis and 10 to 30% of females had signs of malnutrition, the proportion being variable according to the test used. Male patients showed a remarkable reduction in muscle mass (30-45% of patients, mainly in the presence of moderate-to-severe or severe liver failure), whereas female patients showed a more remarkable reduction of fat stores (15-30% of cases), with advancing liver failure, and a less severe reduction in muscle mass. No direct effect of alcohol was demonstrated in this selected population.