GLIM Achieves Best Diagnostic Performance in Non-Cancer Patients with Low BMI: A Hierarchical Bayesian Latent-Class Meta-Analysis

Context: Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) and Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) are commonly used nutrition assessment tools, whose performance does not reach a consensus due to different and imperfect reference standards. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the diagnostic accuracy of GLIM and PG-SGA, using a hierarchical Bayesian latent class model, in the absence of a gold standard. Data Sources: A systematic search was undertaken in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science from inception to October 2022. Diagnostic test studies comparing (1) the GLIM and/or (2) PG-SGA with "semi-gold" standard assessment tools for malnutrition were included. Data Extraction: Two authors independently extracted data on sensitivity, specificity, and other key characteristics. The methodological quality of each included study was appraised according to the criteria in the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2. Data Analysis: A total of 45 studies, comprising 20 876 individuals evaluated for GLIM and 11 575 for PG-SGA, were included. The pooled sensitivity was 0.833 (95% CI 0.744 to 0.896) for GLIM and 0.874 (0.797 to 0.925) for PG-SGA, while the pooled specificity was 0.837 (0.780 to 0.882) for GLIM and 0.778 (0.707 to 0.836) for PG-SGA. GLIM showed slightly better performance than PG-SGA, with a higher diagnostic odds ratio (25.791 vs 24.396). The diagnostic performance of GLIM was most effective in non-cancer patients with an average body mass index (BMI) of <24 kg/m(2), followed by non-cancer patients with an average age of >= 60 years. PG-SGA was most powerful in cancer patients with an average age of <60 years, followed by cancer patients with an average BMI of <24 kg/m(2). Conclusion: Both GLIM and PG-SGA had moderately high diagnostic capabilities. GLIM was most effective in non-cancer patients with a low BMI, while PG-SGA was more applicable in cancer patients.