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[Denutrition of elderly patients]
1Service de Gériatrie, Centre Hospitalier, Valence.
Annales De Biologie Clinique
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Undernutrition in elderly patients is dangerous and often underestimated. Simultaneous evaluation of protein and inflammatory markers aids in accurate diagnosis and patient monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Clinical Nutrition
- Biochemistry
Context:
- Undernutrition is prevalent in the elderly, particularly hospitalized patients.
- Age-related decline in protein-energy stores contributes to malnutrition.
- Physiopathological causes include reduced energy intake and endogenous malnutrition.
Purpose:
- To highlight the challenges in diagnosing undernutrition in the elderly.
- To discuss advancements in nutritional protein evaluation.
- To emphasize the utility of combined protein and inflammatory markers for diagnosis and follow-up.
Summary:
- Diagnosis of undernutrition requires multiple criteria: dietary intake, anthropometric, and biological measurements.
- Recent progress includes evaluating nutritional proteins like albumin and prealbumin.
- Inflammatory proteins, such as albumin-to-globulin ratio (AGR) and C-reactive protein (CRP), assist in assessment.
Impact:
- Simultaneous evaluation of protein profiles reduces diagnostic errors.
- Enables precise diagnosis of undernutrition symptoms.
- Facilitates valuable patient monitoring and follow-up care.