engleski

Malnutrition in elderly – a significant element in the modern geriatric medicine

Introduction A high malnutrition prevalence and an increased risk of malnutrition is a well known phenomenon in the geriatric population. Together with a multi-morbidity, inadequate physical activity and the wors-ening of acute illness the malnutrition lead to reduced body function. Therefore, an appropriate nu-trition and malnutrition detection must be a part of the modern treatment of elderly people to achieve the desired goals. Our study aimed to determine the incidence of malnutrition in elderly patients. Methods This study included 1159 patients older than 65 years (maximum age of 101 years) who were ad- mitted to the geriatric department at the Luzerner Kantonsspital Wolhusen (Switzerland). To assess nutritional status, we applied the Mini Nutritional Assessment-LF, recommended by the European Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN). The data were statistically analyzed. Results The analysis confirmed the high incidence of malnutrition in the geriatric population. A total of 751 patients – 64, 8% were malnourished or in the risk for malnutrition. The malnutrition was confirmed in 27, 9% of the patients, while the next 36, 9% were in the category of a high risk of malnutrition, with a significantly longer time of hospitalization. Conclusions Malnutrition and high risk of malnutrition are very common in elderly patients, suggesting the need for regular and timely nutritional screening to reduce the incidence of complications, improve the prognosis of the treatment and shorten the duration of hospitalization.

elderly, malnutrition, therapy

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