The prevalence of malnutrition among stroke survivors with bulbar palsy and the associated risk factors / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the prevalence of malnutrition among stroke survivors with bulbar palsy and the risk factors involved, and to construct a prediction model.Methods:This was a retrospective study of 325 stroke survivors. The nutritional status of those with and without bulbar palsy was compared. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were evaluated to highlight risk factors. A risk prediction model was constructed and a receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was drawn.Results:The prevalence of malnutrition among the stroke survivors with bulbar palsy was 66%, significantly greater than among all patients (52%). Among the stroke survivors with bulbar palsy there were significant differences between the normal nutrition group and the malnutrition group in terms of age, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, hemoglobin, daily activities and pulmonary infection. The multivariate logistic regressions showed that pulmonary infection, a higher NIHSS score and lower hemoglobin were independent risk factors predicting malnutrition among stroke survivors with bulbar palsy. A risk prediction model for malnutrition was constructed based on the 3 major indicators and the area under the ROC curve was 0.86, with sensitivity of 0.79 and specificity of 0.83. A Hosmer-Lemeshow test indicated that the model was well calibrated, indicating that it would have good predictive value.Conclusions:Malnutrition is prevalent among stroke survivors with bulbar palsy. Pulmonary infection, a high NIHSS score and low hemoglobin are independent risk factors. They should be treated as important by medical staff.