[Nutritional status of an hospitalised aged population]

The aims of the study were to evaluate the nutritional status of the hospitalised elderly patients, to estimate the prevalence and distribution of malnutrition among them and to value the correlation of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) with nutritional biochemical and anthropometric parameters.

A cross sectional survey was done among a sample of 200 elderly patients admitted to the USP San Carlos Hospital (Murcia) during a period of 3 months. The study employed the MNA and a blood test including hemogram and albumin and transferrin serum levels. Chang's protocol was used to classify the nourishing pattern. For statistical analyses of the MNA tool, the Spearman's coefficient was employed.

Mean age of the 200 patients was 80.72 SD 7.43 years. Mean weight was 63.41 SD 19.57 kg and mean height was 160.93 SD 8.36 cm, with a mean Body Mass Index of 24.27 SD 7.31. The serum values of albumin and transferrin and total lymphocytes in blood were 3.09 SD 0.5 g/l, 1.69 SD 0.37 mg/dl and 1412 mm3 respectively. Average score of the MNA was 15.9 SD 6.21 with a maximum value of 27 and a minimum of 5.5 points. According to this scale, 50% (n=100) of the patients were malnourished, and 32% (n=32) of them presented mixed undernutrition of moderate degree. Values of malnutrition in the MNA test correlated significantly (p < 0.001) with values under normality of the biochemical and immunological parameters.

Patients over 80 years of age are either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. These results are obtained both by means of the nutritional classic valuation and the MNA and presents a statistically significantly correlation. Therefore the MNA represents a useful, reliable and easily administered clinical tool to identify elderly people at risk of malnutrition and guide nutritional intervention in order to improve nutritional status.