Managing undernutrition in the elderly - prevention is better than cure.

BACKGROUND: Undernutrition in the elderly is common and can be associated with adverse medical consequences, contributing to frailty, morbidity, hospitalisation and mortality. OBJECTIVE: This article provides guidelines for screening for undernutrition in general practice, and suggests strategies to address undernutrition in older patients. DISCUSSION: Screening for undernutrition in general practice helps focus time and resources on people at greatest risk. Early identification and management of people at risk of undernutrition is important because it is difficult to reverse its adverse effects, once established.