A study on the correlation between nutritional status and frailty among elderly inpatients from cardiology department / 中华临床营养杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To analyze the relationship between nutritional status and frailty among elderly inpatients from cardiology department.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted in a total of 519 patients aged 65-92 years old who were admitted to cardiology department between September 2018 and February 2019. Mini nutritional assessment short form (MNA-SF) was used to assess the nutritional status. Fried phenotype was used to assess frailty status. The nutritional status and frailty in patients with different diseases, age and body mass index were analyzed, as well as the nutritional status of patients in different frailty strata.Results:The mean age was 75.12 years (range 65-92 years). The prevalence of malnutrition risk was 28.9% (150/519), malnutrition 3.3% (17/519) and frailty 23.5% (122/519). When stratified by disease, the subgroup with chronic heart failure showed the highest prevalence of malnutrition and frailty (63.6% and 50.0%, respectively). The prevalence of malnutrition risk (22.8%, 35.5%), malnutrition (3.0%, 3.6%) and frailty (15.3%, 32.3%) were higher in patients ≥ 75 years compared with those aged 65 years - 75 years. MNA-SF score was negatively correlated with age( r = -0.134, P = 0.002). Fried phenotype score was positively correlated with age ( r = 0.319, P < 0.01). As for stratification based on BMI, the majority (62.6%) patients were overweight or obese (BMI ≥ 24.0 kg/m 2) and the prevalence of malnutrition risk in this subgroup was 21.2% (69/325). The prevalence of malnutrition risk in patients with normal BMI was 38.7% (70/181). The subgroup with BMI<18.5 were either at malnutrition risk or with malnutrition. MNA-SF score was positively correlated with BMI ( r = 0.353, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of pre-frailty and frailty among different BMI groups. The prevalence of malnutrition was the highest in the frailty group (8.2%), followed by the pre-frailty group (2.0%). Fried phenotype score was negatively correlated with MNA-SF score( r = -0.291, P < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that frailty was an independent risk factor for malnutrition, and the risk of malnutrition in frailty patients was 4.818 (95% CI1.701～13.644) times higher than that in non-frailty patients. Conclusions:The prevalence of malnutrition risk and frailty was high in the elderly inpatients from cardiology department. Frailty patients had a higher incidence of malnutrition and required more attention.