TITLE:
Malnutrition Reduces Quality of Life and Performance in Hospitalized Elderly
AUTHORS:
Patrizia D’Amelio, Barbara Rosso, Giorgia Fornelli, Chiara Eandi, Maria T. Maniero, Daniela Cobianchi, Valerio Dimonte, Manuela Rebellato, Giovanni C. Isaia
KEYWORDS:
Malnutrition, Quality of Life, Muscular Strength, Aging
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases,
Vol.4 No.6,
June
18,
2014
ABSTRACT: Objectives: Severe
protein energy malnutrition results in muscle wasting and loss of subcutaneous
tissue and has serious implications for health, recovery from illness or
surgery, and hospital costs; however this condition is often underestimated and
considered as one of the aspects of aging. We measure the incidence of
malnutrition and its consequences on general health, physical and mental
performance in a cohort of elderly patients. Study Design: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in
a geriatric inpatient unit. Three hundred patients admitted to the clinic who
fulfilled the inclusion criteria were enrolled. Main Outcome Measures: Nutritional status was evaluated by Mini
Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire, macro and micronutrients intake,
anthropometric measures and biochemical parameters. Physical and mental
performances were recorded by questionnaires. Muscular strength was measured by
a hand dynamometer and clinical outcomes were recorded. Results: Patients
with poor nutritional status have lower physical and mental performance as
respect to well nourished patients. Undernourished patients have longer hospitalization
and worst outcomes. We observe a high prevalence of severe hypovitaminosis D
and the intake of various micronutrients was severely unbalanced. The incidence of malnutrition was 25% (75
patients); 39% (119
patients) were at risk of malnutrition. MNA was inversely related with the
length of hospital stay (R = -0.25, p = 0.012) and with
Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) (R = -0.56, p =
0.000), whereas directly related with cognitive performance measured through
Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) (R = 0.5, p = 0.000) and hand grip
strength (R = 0.35, p = 0.000). Conclusions: Malnutrition significantly reduced quality
of life, physical and mental performance and worsened patients’ prognosis.