[Nutritional status of ill elderly patients]

Malnutrition in ill elderly subjects is one of the most common and at the same time least heeded problems in hospitals, nursing homes, and home care. Depending on the type and composition of the group of patients under consideration, the prevalence of malnutrition is cited at up to 60%. The elderly eat considerably smaller amounts of food than the young and mostly eat food of low nutrient density. Especially at times of high energy requirements such as acute or chronic illness, this results in an energy deficit and general malnutrition. Precise diagnosis of malnutrition can be facilitated by determination of a number of biochemical parameters. Knowledge of these permits individualized nutritional therapy. The most important deficits affecting ill elderly subjects are those relating to proteins, iron, zinc, selenium, and vitamins B12, B1, B6, and D. Malnutrition prolongs hospital stays, imposes enormous costs on health services, and causes considerable mortality. The present very rapid increase in the size of the elderly population will exacerbate the problem of malnutrition. More attention should therefore be paid to malnutrition by treating it as a disease in its own right and including it in the training of doctors and nurses.