Evaluation of malnutrition in patients with febrile neutropenia

Febrile neutropenia is a critical condition in patients with malignancy, requiring oral and/or parenteral antibiotic treatment; and a significant cause of mortality and morbidity. It is well known that nutritional status is excessively impaired in these patients due to underlying disease itself along with the chemotherapeutics used. In this study we investigated nutritional status and general characteristics of patients admitted to our internal medicine clinic with febrile neutropenia.

Thirty patients who were followed up in the internal medicine service were included in the study. For the analysis of the data of the patients, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), weight loss in the last three months, albümin and total iron binding capacity values were recorded. Hand grip strength, mid-upper arm and mid-calf circumference measurements were obtained for the assessment of muscle strength; Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and Nutrition Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002) scores were calculated at admission and discharge to evaluate nutritional status. Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) score was used to identify risk and manage treatment.

We included thirty patients (mean age 58.27±16.52 years, 53% females). Of 30, six patients had lung cancer, four patients had myelodysplastic syndrome, three patients had stomach cancer, two patients had gastrointestinal system lymphoma, two patients had colon cancer, two patients had breast cancer, two patients had Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Majority of the patients, admitted to our internal medicine clinic, with febrile neutropenia were found to be malnourished; regardless of their risk classifications. Nutritional assessment scores of the majority were in the low-risk group. In conclusion, patients hospitalized with febrile neutropenia had poor nutritional status.