Malnutrition and Laboratory Markers in Geriatric Patients. A Comparison of Neurologic-psychiatric, Internal and Trauma Surgical Diseases.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: There is minimal information on malnutrition in neurologic-psychiatric patients compared to internal and trauma-surgical patients. The aim of the present study was to explore if there is a correlation of these different disease groups with the nutritional assessment and biochemical markers. DESIGN: Cross - sectional study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study was done in a department of geriatric medicine with subspecialisation in neurologic diseases and stroke unit. 338 patients (m / f = 136 / 202, mean age 81.4 ± 7.3 years) were evaluated. MEASUREMENTS The nutritional status was evaluated by using the short form of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA-SF) and seven biochemical markers (hemoglobin, iron, ferritin, vitamin B 12, folic acid, albumin and cholinesterase) were measured. RESULTS: There were 74 (22%) patients with MNA ≤ 7 points (malnutrition), 148 (44%) patients with an MNA 8 - 11 points (risk of malnutrition) and 116 (34%) patients with an MNA ≥ 12 points (good nutritional status). The mean MNA score of the three major disease groups trauma-surgery, internal medicine and neurology-psychiatry was 9.1 ± 3.2 vs. 9.9 ± 3.1 vs. 10.0 ± 2.8 (p=0.236). There were significant differences of laboratory markers between the disease groups. A deficit of albumin, cholinesterase and hemoglobin was found more often in trauma-surgical and internal patients than in neurological-psychiatric patients (albumin 21.4%, 15.7%, 5.3%; p=0.001; cholinesterase 16.7%, 16.9%, 6.3%; p=0.007; hemoglobin 78.6%, 61.4%, 50.0%; p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Following Mini Nutritional Assessment, the additional measurement of albumin, cholinesterase and hemoglobin allowed a more precise grading of malnutrition. There were significant differences between the disease groups. A deficit of albumin, cholinesterase and hemoglobin was found more often in multimorbid trauma-surgical and internal patients than in neurologic-psychiatric patients.