Assessment of nutritional status of older patients attending a tertiary hospital in Middle Eastern country

Nada El Osta; Haissam El Arab; Robert Saad; Lydia Rabbaa Khabbaz; Jihad Fakhouri; Tatiana Papazian; Lana El Osta

doi:10.1016/j.clnesp.2019.06.010

Assessment of nutritional status of older patients attending a tertiary hospital in Middle Eastern country

Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2019 Oct:33:105-110. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2019.06.010. Epub 2019 Jul 8.

Authors

Nada El Osta¹, Haissam El Arab², Robert Saad³, Lydia Rabbaa Khabbaz⁴, Jihad Fakhouri⁵, Tatiana Papazian⁶, Lana El Osta²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon; Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon; University of Clermont Auvergne, EA 4847, Centre de Recherche en Odontologie Clinique, BP 10448, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
³ Private Practice, Beirut, Lebanon.
⁴ Laboratoire de pharmacologie, Pharmacie clinique et contrôle de qualité des médicaments, Faculty of Pharmacy, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
⁵ Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
⁶ Laboratoire de pharmacologie, Pharmacie clinique et contrôle de qualité des médicaments, Faculty of Pharmacy, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon; Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.

PMID: 31451245
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2019.06.010

Abstract

Background and purpose: In hospitals, poor nutritional status could be associated with a higher incidence of nosocomial infections, postoperative complications and mortality. Subsequently the costs of providing health care and social services will increase. Malnutrition has often been described as the skeleton in the hospital closet, as it is often ignored, undiagnosed and untreated. Our study aimed to describe the nutritional status of hospitalized patients aged 60 years or more and to evaluate the associated risk factors.

Materials and methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted at a major tertiary teaching hospital in Beirut city. During a 7 months period, patients aged 60 and over and admitted in the medical and surgical units of the hospital were invited to participate in the study. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire including sociodemographic and medical characteristics, the Arabic version of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), the Activity of Daily Living (ADL) scale, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score.

Results: 171 participants aged 73.15 ± 8.06 years were included in the study. 52% of them were at risk of malnutrition and 13.5% were malnourished. Prevalence of malnutrition was higher in medical compared to surgical departments (16.2% vs. 10.5%, p = 0.003). Moreover, malnutrition was significantly associated with low level of education, high age, prolonged hospital stay, high number of medical comorbidities, polymedication, high ASA score and low ADL score (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Malnutrition or risk of malnutrition are found in 2 out of 3 hospitalized patients aged 60 years or more, and is associated with several specific risk factors. Screening and management of malnutrition should be considered a priority in order to improve the overall medical status of older people, reduce hospital stay and improve outcome and quality of life.

MeSH terms

Activities of Daily Living
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Comorbidity
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Hospitalization
Humans
Incidence
Lebanon / epidemiology
Length of Stay
Male
Malnutrition / epidemiology*
Mass Screening
Nutrition Assessment
Nutritional Status*
Prevalence
Quality of Life
Risk Factors
Surveys and Questionnaires
Tertiary Care Centers*