News Release

High prevalence of malnutrition among patients who enter convalescent hospitals

Peer-Reviewed Publication

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Inadequate nutrition is often present in patients after discharge from an acute care hospital, and a new study indicates that malnutrition reaches epidemic proportions once patients go from the hospital to a convalescent facility.

Publishing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Thomas et al. found a high rate of malnutrition and depression in convalescent home patients, particularly among geriatric patients. It is unclear whether the malnutrition seen in subacute care facilities is the result of neglect, or reflects the profound illness of the patients when they are admitted.

The authors evaluated 489 patients with a mean age of 76 years who were admitted over a 14-month period to a 100-bed subacute-care hospital. None of the patients had cancer, end-stage renal failure, or other terminal illnesses.

Sixty-seven percent of the subjects had low serum albumin levels, indicative of severe malnutrition. Only 8% of subjects were well-nourished, while almost one-third was malnourished and two-thirds were at risk of malnutrition. Depression scores were progressively higher with greater malnutrition, and malnourished patients suffered more often from dehydration.

Of the malnourished subjects, 25% required readmission to an acute care hospital compared to 11% of the well-nourished patients. Severe illness and inattention to nutrition during hospitalization strongly contributes to the prevalence of malnutrition in convalescent facilities.

The authors stress the importance of interdisciplinary teams in subacute-care facilities for close attention to the nutritional status of newly admitted patients to avoid further health declines that could lead to re-hospitalization.

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Thomas, David R. et al. Malnutrition in subacute care. Am J Clin Nutr 2001:75:308-13.

This media release is provided by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition to provide current information on nutrition-related research. This information should not be construed as medical advice.

If you have a medical concern, consult your doctor. To see the complete text of this article, please go to: http://www.faseb.org/ajcn/February/12226-Thomas.pdf

For more information, please contact: thomasdr@slu.edu


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