Long-Term Evolution of Malnutrition and Loss of Muscle Strength after COVID-19: A Major and Neglected Component of Long COVID-19.

Post-acute consequences of COVID-19, also termed long COVID, include signs and symptoms persisting for more than 12 weeks with prolonged multisystem involvement; most often, however, malnutrition is ignored. METHOD: The objective was to analyze persistent symptoms, nutritional status, the evolution of muscle strength and performance status (PS) at 6 months post-discharge in a cohort of COVID-19 survivors. RESULTS: Of 549 consecutive patients hospitalized for COVID-19 between 1 March and 29 April 2020, 23.7% died and 288 patients were at home at D30 post-discharge. At this date, 136 of them (47.2%) presented persistent malnutrition, a significant decrease in muscle strength or a PS ≥ 2. These patients received dietary counseling, nutritional supplementation, adapted physical activity guidance or physiotherapy assistance, or were admitted to post-care facilities. At 6 months post-discharge, 91.0% of the 136 patients (n = 119) were evaluated and 36.0% had persistent malnutrition, 14.3% complained of a significant decrease in muscle strength and 14.9% had a performance status > 2. Obesity was more frequent in patients with impairment than in those without (52.8% vs. 31.0%; p = 0.0071), with these patients being admitted more frequently to ICUs (50.9% vs. 31.3%; p = 0.010). Among those with persistent symptoms, 10% had psychiatric co-morbidities (mood disorders, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress syndrome), 7.6% had prolonged pneumological symptoms and 4.2% had neurological symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Obese subjects as well as patients who have stayed in intensive care have a higher risk of functional loss or undernutrition 6 months after a severe COVID infection. Malnutrition and loss of muscle strength should be considered in the clinical assessment of these patients.

Impact of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection on nutritional status and subjective functional loss in a prospective cohort of COVID-19 survivors.

The nutritional sequelae of COVID-19 have not been explored in a large cohort study. OBJECTIVES: To identify factors associated with the change in nutritional status between discharge and 30 days post-discharge (D30). Secondary objectives were to determine the prevalence of subjective functional loss and severe disability at D30 and their associated factors. METHODS: Collected data included symptoms, nutritional status, self-evaluation of food intake, Performance Status (PS) Scale, Asthenia Scale, self-evaluation of strength (SES) for arms and legs at discharge and at D30. An SES <7 was used to determine subjective functional loss. A composite criteria for severe disability was elaborated combining malnutrition, subjective functional loss and PS >2. Patients were classified into three groups according to change in nutritional status between discharge and D30 (persistent malnutrition, correction of malnutrition and the absence of malnutrition). RESULTS: Of 549 consecutive patients hospitalised for COVID-19 between 1 March and 29 April 2020, 130 died including 17 after discharge (23.7%). At D30, 312 patients were at home, 288 (92.3%) of whom were interviewed. Of the latter, 33.3% were malnourished at discharge and still malnourished at D30, while 23.2% were malnourished at discharge but no longer malnourished at D30. The highest predictive factors of persistent malnutrition were intensive care unit (ICU) stay (OR=3.42, 95% CI: 2.04 to 5.75), subjective functional loss at discharge (OR=3.26, 95% CI: 1.75 to 6.08) and male sex (OR=2.39, 95% CI: 1.44 to 3.97). Subjective functional loss at discharge (76.8%) was the main predictive factor of subjective functional loss at D30 (26.3%) (OR=32.6, 95% CI: 4.36 to 244.0). Lastly, 8.3% had a severe disability, with a higher risk in patients requiring an ICU stay (OR=3.39, 95% CI: 1.43 to 8.06). CONCLUSION: Patients who survived a severe form of COVID-19 had a high risk of persistent malnutrition, functional loss and severe disability at D30. We believe that nutritional support and rehabilitation should be strengthened, particularly for male patients who were admitted in ICU and had subjective functional loss at discharge. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04451694.

Stratégie de prise en charge nutritionnelle à l’hôpital au cours de l’épidémie virale Covid-19 : avis d’experts de la Société Francophone de Nutrition Clinique et Métabolisme (SFNCM)

The viral epidemic caused by the new Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the new Coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19). This epidemic imposes upheavals in our organizations in healthcare centres, which should not obscure the importance of nutritional care. The nutritional diagnosis and the early nutritional care management of Covid-19 patients must be integrated into the overall therapeutic strategy, as with any acute situation of acute illness. This document was prepared by the French speaking Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (SFNCM) in the emergency of the health crisis by a group of experts, based on the national and international recommendations available in the field of malnutrition, critical illness, metabolic stress and intensive care medicine on March 23, 2020. We hope that this article will bring to healthcare professionals especially those not specialized in nutrition, useful landmarks to help them to manage hospitalized patients, infected or not by Covid-19 in the context of epidemic and intrahospital confinement.

Dysmagnesemia in Covid-19 cohort patients: prevalence and associated factors.

Hypomagnesemia and hypermagnesemia could have serious implications and possibly lead to progress from a mild form to a severe outcome of Covid-19. Susceptibility of subjects with low magnesium status to develop and enhance this infection is possible. There is little data on the magnesium status of patients with Covid-19 with different degrees of severity. This study was conducted to evaluate prevalence of dysmagnesemia in a prospective Covid-19 cohort study according to the severity of the clinical manifestations and to identify factors associated. Serum magnesium was measured in 300 of 549 patients admitted to the hospital due to severe Covid-19. According to the WHO guidelines, patients were classified as moderate, severe, or critical. 48% patients had a magnesemia below 0.75 mmol/L (defined as magnesium deficiency) including 13% with a marked hypomagnesemia (<0.65 mmol/L). 9.6% had values equal to or higher than 0.95 mmol/L. Serum magnesium concentrations were significantly lower in female than in male (0.73 ± 0.12 vs 0.80 ± 0.13 mmol/L), whereas the sex ratio M/F was higher in severe and critical form (p<0.001). In a bivariate analysis, the risk of magnesium deficiency was significantly and negatively associated with infection severity (p<0.001), sex ratio (M/F, p<0.001), oxygenotherapy (p<0.001), stay in critical care unit (p=0.028), and positively with nephropathy (p=0.026). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the strongest predictors of magnesium deficiency were female sex (OR=2.67, p<0.001) and nephropathy (OR=2.12, p=0.032) and after exclusion of sex ratio, the severity of infection (OR=0.46, p=0.04 and OR=0.39 p=0.01), for critical and moderate forms, respectively. This transversal study reveals a high prevalence of hypomagnesemia in hospitalized patients for Covid-19, while high-level serum magnesium concentration was more prevalent in critical form.

Adaptations de la prise en charge des patients en Nutrition Artificielle à Domicile au cours de l’épidémie virale COVID-19 en France: avis du Comité de Nutrition à Domicile de la Société Francophone de Nutrition Clinique et Métabolisme (SFNCM)

Résumé La nutrition artificielle à domicile, entérale ou parentérale, s’adresse à des malades chroniques fragiles. La situation actuelle de pandémie COVID-19 peut compromettre leur prise en charge à plusieurs niveaux : difficultés d’accès aux établissements de santé largement réorientés vers la prise en charge des malades COVID-19, possible pénurie d’infirmières à domicile, forte réduction des visites des prestataires de service à domicile, tensions sur les solutions hydro-alcooliques, les masques et les régulateurs de débit. Le but de ces recommandations établies par le Comité de Nutrition à Domicile de la Société Francophone de Nutrition Clinique et Métabolisme est, d’une part, de préciser la prise en charge minimale de ces patients, tant en termes de suivi que de matériels, mais surtout de s’adapter aux tensions actuelles relatives aux personnes et aux matériels, afin de poursuivre une prise en charge de qualité et de ne pas compromettre l’état de santé des patients en nutrition artificielle à domicile pendant la crise. Home artificial nutrition, whether enteral or parenteral, is provided to chronic and fragile patients. The current COVID-19 epidemics may compromise their care at several levels: difficulties to access to hospitals mainly focused on treating COVID-19 patients, possible lack of nurses at home, strong reduction of visits by homecare providers, tended flow or lack of hand sanitizers, surgical masks and pumps. The aim of these recommendations put together by the French-speaking Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (SFNCM)’s Home Artificial Nutrition Committee is to define in terms of healthcare resources the minimum care to provide to these patients. We also aim to help cope with the possible tensions, in order to secure the care we must provide to home artificial nutrition patients during this crisis.