Avaliação do estado nutricional em pacientes idosos oncológicos internados em um hospital de alta complexidade do Norte do Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

Aims: To assess the nutritional risk in hospitalized oncological elderly patients. Methods: Retrospective study conducted with oncological elderly patients hospitalized at the São Vicente de Paulo Hospital, in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Patients with cancer who underwent anthropometric and subjective evaluation by the Mini Nutritional Assessment Reduced Forms were selected. Data were collected from the research form used by the National Cancer Institute, including clinical evaluation, type of cancer, reason for hospital admission and length of stay. Results: A total of 70 elderly patients with cancer, of both genders, with a mean age of 72.94±6.93 years, were evaluated. All patients with pancreatic cancer had weight loss. Patients with lung cancer and pancreatic cancer had the highest percentage of severe weight loss (greater than 10% of usual weight in the last six months), 57.1% and 40% respectively, while the majority of breast cancer cases had no weight loss. Body mass index and calf circumference diagnosed greater proportion of normal weight (55.7% and 65.7%, respectively), unlike the Mini Nutritional Assessment Reduced Forms, that identified higher rates of malnutrition or nutritional risk (84.4%). Conclusions: Most hospitalized oncological elderly were found to be eutrophic by the anthropometric indicators body mass index and calf circumference, while a higher proportion of these patients were classified as malnourished or at nutritional risk by the Mini Nutritional Assessment Reduced Forms, as well as by the percentage of weight loss. Patients with lung and pancreas cancer had the most severe weight loss. These results confirm the importance of using different parameters to assess the nutritional status of elderly with cancer.