The evaluation of the nutritional status in Parkinson's disease: geriatric nutritional risk index comparison with...

The symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease may lead to reduced food consumption and in turn, malnutrition. It is therefore important to apply a reliable nutrition screening tool to evaluate the nutritional status of individuals with Parkinson's disease. This cross-sectional study aims to compare the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire and the Geriatric Nutrition Risk Index (GNRI) in the assessment of the nutritional status of individuals with Parkinson's disease, and to evaluate the usability of the GNRI in cases of Parkinson's disease.

The study was conducted with 89 individuals over the age of 60 who were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Study data were collected using a questionnaire form administered through face-to-face interviews, the MNA-Long Form (MNA-LF), and the GNRI was calculated.

The mean GNRI scores were significantly lower in the participants with malnutrition (106.5 ± 19.4) than in the participants at risk of malnutrition (121.0 ± 10.3) and the participants with no malnutrition (125.3 ± 9.6) according to the MNA-LF (p < 0.001). Although there was a positive correlation between the MNA-LF and the GNRI scores, this correlation was not significant (p = 0.095).

This is the first study to research the nutritional status of individuals with Parkinson's disease using the GNRI. The malnutrition rate detected by GNRI was found to be lower than MNA in Parkinson's patients receiving outpatient treatment. Similar studies are recommended to determine the usability of GNRI on inpatients.