Detection of nutritional risk and hospital stay in the hospitalized elderly adult

Abstract

Background and aims: A high nutritional risk can independently be associated with a longer hospital stay in elderly patients. This study aims to establish the prevalence of the risk of malnutrition and its associated factors in a high-complexity level hospital in Bogotá, Colombia, during 2018. Methods: A cross-sectional study. The prevalence of the risk of malnutrition was measured using a malnutrition-screening tool (MST), and the association with hospital stage, age, and patient diagnoses was assessed. Results: A total of 7,192 patients comprised the cohort. Age range was 61 to 108 years, with an average of 77.1±9.2 years, and subjects were mostly female (55.5%). We identified as main conditions urinary tract infections (8.4%), congestive heart failure (5.4%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with an acute exacerbation (4.6%). The prevalence of the risk of malnutrition was 41.4%, significantly associated with longer hospital stays (p<0.001), older age (p<0.001), and a diagnosis of delirium (OR=5.98, 95% CI: 2.78 to 12.86), diarrhea and gastroenteritis (OR=5.01, 95% CI: 2.44 to 10.32), gastrointestinal hemorrhage (OR=4.44, 95% CI: 2.38 to 8.28), specified pneumonia (OR=4.43, 95% CI: 2.11 to 9.30), and high blood pressure (3.94, 95% CI: 2.07 to 7.50). Other diagnoses included abdominal pain (other) (OR=3.80, 95% CI: 1.81 to 7.99), urinary tract infections (OR=3.64, 95% CI: 2.07 to 6.24), acute bronchitis (OR=3.22, 95% CI: 1.56 to 6.65), and bacterial pneumonia (OR=3.02, 95% CI: 1.65 to 5.55). Conclusion: The prevalence of the risk of malnutrition in our institution is approximately one in two patients, with a significant association to increased hospital stay≥8 days, patient age≥80 years, and mainly diagnoses of delirium, diarrhea, and gastroenteritis of suspected infectious etiology.