Background: Disease-related malnutrition is a significant problem in hospitalized patients, with high prevalence rates depending on the studied population. Internal Medicine wards are the backbone of the hospital setting. However, prevalence and determinants of malnutrition in these patients remain unclear. We aimed to determine the prevalence of malnutrition in Internal Medicine wards and to identify and characterize malnourished patients. Methods: A cross-sectional observational multicentre study was performed in Internal Medicine wards of 24 Portuguese hospitals during 2017. Demographics, hospital admissions during the previous year, type of admission, primary diagnosis, Charlson comorbidity index, and education level were registered. Malnutrition at admission was assessed using Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA). Demographic characteristics were compared between well-nourished and malnourished patients. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify determinants of malnutrition. Results: 729 participants were included (mean age 74 years, 51% male). Main reason for admission was respiratory disease (32%). Mean Charlson comorbidity index was 5.8 ± 2.8. Prevalence of malnutrition was 73% (56% moderate/suspected malnutrition and 17% severe malnutrition), and 54% had a critical need for multidisciplinary intervention (PG-SGA score ≥9). No education (odds ratio [OR] 1.88, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16–3.04), hospital admissions during previous year (OR 1.53, 95%CI: 1.05–2.26), and multiple comorbidities (OR 1.22, 95%CI: 1.14–1.32) significantly increased the odds of being malnourished. Conclusions: Prevalence of malnutrition in the Internal Medicine population is very high, with the majority of patients having critical need for multidisciplinary intervention. Low education level, admissions during previous year, and multiple comorbidities increase the odds of being malnourished.
Background: Although diagnosing and treating malnutrition, sarcopenia and underweight are recommended to be embedded and sustained within nutritional care, it is unknown if that is facilitated in geriatric rehabilitation. This study determined the proportion of geriatric rehabilitation inpatients with malnutrition, sarcopenia or underweight receiving dietetic interventions as part of routine clinical care and if these patients have greater improvements in body weight and composition compared to patients not receiving dietetic interventions.Methods: Geriatric rehabilitation inpatients from the observational REStORing health of acutely unwell adulTs (RESORT) cohort were included (n=971, median age 83.2 [77.7-88.8] years, 58.5% (n=568) females). Malnutrition, sarcopenia and underweight were defined by the Global Leadership Initiative of Malnutrition, European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 and age-specific body mass index cut-offs. Data on dietetic interventions initiated by dietitians as part of clinical care was extracted from the centralised hospital database. Changes in body weight (kg), skeletal muscle mass (kg, %), and fat mass (kg, %) from admission to discharge were determined using linear mixed models.Results: Dietetic interventions were received by 306 (62.0%), 138 (71.5%) and 153 (76.9%) of patients with malnutrition (n=493), sarcopenia (n=193) and underweight (n=199). Duration and frequency of dietetic interventions were higher in patients with malnutrition, sarcopenia or underweight compared to patients without those conditions. There were no differences in body weight/composition changes in patients with malnutrition, sarcopenia or underweight receiving dietetic interventions compared to those not receiving interventions.Conclusions: One-third of geriatric rehabilitation inpatients with malnutrition, sarcopenia or underweight are not receiving dietetic interventions and therefore the referral and diagnostic process require improvements. Patients with malnutrition, sarcopenia or underweight receiving dietetic interventions had no greater improvements in body weight/composition compared to those who did not receive interventions. Tailoring dietetic interventions for malnutrition, sarcopenia and underweight diagnosis may improve patient outcomes.
MULTIFILE
Rationale: Malnutrition is a common problem in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Whereas estimation of fat-free muscle mass index (FFMi) with bio-electrical impedance is often used, less is known about muscle thickness measured with ultrasound (US) as a parameter for malnutrition. Moreover, it has been suggested that in this population, loss of muscle mass is characterized by loss of the lower body muscles rather than of the upper body muscles.1 Therefore, we explored the association between FFMi, muscle thickness of the biceps brachii (BB) and the rectus femoris (RF), and malnutrition in patients with COPD. Methods: Patients were assessed at the start of a pulmonary rehabilitation program. Malnutrition was assessed with the Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA). Malnutrition was defined as PG-SGA Stage B or C. FFMi (kg/m²) was estimated with bio-electrical impedance analysis BIA 101® (Akern), using the Rutten equation. Muscle thickness (mm) of the BB and the RF was measured with the handheld BodyMetrix® device (Intelametrix). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to analyse associations between FFMi and muscle thickness for BB and RF, and malnutrition. Multivariate analysis corrected for sex, age, and GOLD-stage. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were presented. A p-level of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: In total, 27 COPD patients (age 64±8.1 years; female 60%, GOLD-stage 3, interquartile range=3-4, BMI 27±6.6 kg/m2) were included in the analyses. In the univariate analysis, FFMi (p=0.014; OR=0.70, 95%CI: -0.12—0.15), RF thickness (p=0.021; OR=0.79, 95%CI: -0.09—0.01), and BB thickness (p=0.006; OR=0.83, 95%CI: -0.06—0.01) were all significantly associated with malnutrition. In the multivariate analysis, FFMi (p=0.031; OR=0.59, 95%CI: -0.18—0.01) and BB thickness (p=0.017; OR=0.73, 95%CI:-0.09—0.01) were significantly associated with malnutrition. None of the co-variables were significantly associated with malnutrition. Conclusion: In this relatively small sample of patients with severe COPD, low FFMi and low BB muscle thickness were both robustly associated with increased odds of being malnourished. BB muscle thickness measured with US may provide added value to the toolbox for nutritional assessment. The results of this exploratory study suggest that upper body muscles may reflect nutritional status more closely than lower body muscles. Reference: 1 Shrikrishna D, Patel M, Tanner RJ, Seymour JM, Connolly BA, Puthucheary ZA, et al. Quadriceps wasting and physical inactivity in patients with COPD. Eur Respir J. 2012;40(5):1115–22.)
