Undernutrition of long-stay hospital patients and those in surgical units is well documented. This study was designed to determine the extent of the problem in elderly people admitted to hospital with acute medical problems and to assess the relationship between nutritional status and course of hospital stay. Sixty-nine patients underwent a nutritional assessment on admission and at intervals throughout their hospital stay and episodes of sepsis were documented. Severely malnourished patients were identified using body mass index, BMI (22%) and corrected arm muscle area, CAMA (26%). Episodes of sepsis occurred significantly more often in the severely undernourished group (p < 0.04). The median length of stay of the group was 16 days (range 2-113): during this time there was no significant change in markers of nutritional status apart from actual muscle circumference (AMC), which showed a reduction in measurement between admission and discharge which was statistically significant (p < 0.0003). This study indicated that severe malnutrition is common in elderly medical admissions, and that it is associated with an increased risk of sepsis. Additional nutritional depletion may occur during hospital stay, and is not easily recognized unless anthropometry is undertaken.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.