Vitamin B12 and folic acid levels are not related to length of stay in elderly inpatients.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: We designed this study, to evaluate the interaction (relation) between vitamin B12 and folic acid levels and length of hospital stay in elderly inpatients. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) test was used to evaluate nutritional status of 615 (239 men, 376 female; mean age 72.89 ± 8.93 y) inpatients of a university hospital. Length of stay and blood samples in elderly inpatients were evaluated. RESULTS: Only 33.8% of the patients were classified as having an adequate nutritional status; 44.3% had a risk of malnutrition, and 21.8% were classified as malnourished. Low MNA-SF score was related to length of stay, but vitamin B12 and folic acid were not related to risk of malnutrition and length of stay. CONCLUSION: MNA-SF score is associated with length of stay; however, vitamin B12 level, per se, is not associated with length of hospital stay in elderly inpatients.