The authors recommend increased surveillance of nutritional status in patients with this disease. This study shows that body mass index value is a good indicator of nutritional status and a simple way to screen individuals at risk of nutritional deficiencies. The authors suggest that correction of nutritional deficiencies may translate in lower rates of hospital morbidity, length of stay, and health care costs in this group of patients. Mejia-Arangure JM, et al. The risk of mortality increases with increased severity of nutritional deficit.
Disability is associated with malnutrition in institutionalized elderly people.
The I.R.A. Study. Istituto di Riposo per Anziani. Romagnoni F, et al. The results of this study indicate that disability in elderly patients is strongly associated with the presence of anthropometric and plasma measurements indicative of malnutrition. This association exists independently of age, gender, and presence of coexisting illness or other confounding factors.