Body composition in disease: what can we measure and how can we measure it?

This manuscript presents a brief overview of the topic of body composition in disease. The purpose of this paper is threefold: (1). to present examples of diseases in which body composition assessment might provide valuable information to physicians and other clinical personnel in patient care; (2). provide basic information on the types of methodologies available for various aspects of body composition assessment; and (3). give a brief review of some of the research literature available on the topic of body composition use in disease. Materials in this paper should not be interpreted as providing all the relevant information in this area of research, but the paper does represent a limited overview of the topic.