[Nutritional status of patients in hospitals in Poland. I. Screening of adult patients]. / Stan odzywienia pacjentów w szpitalach w Polsce. I. Ocena przesiewowa pacjentów doroslych.

The aim of the study was a screening assessment of the nutritional status of patients admitted to hospitals and discharged from hospitals. The study was carried out in 4 university hospitals, 4 woivodeship hospitals and 4 district hospitals. In randomly selected 3310 patients (every 10th patient admitted to hospital) anthropometric parameters were assessed: body height, body mass, body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), arm circumference, blood morphological and biochemical parameters were determined (erythrocyte, white blood cell and lymphocyte count in blood, albumin and haemoglobin concentration in serum). The mean values of the assessed parameters in the whole studied population of patients admitted to various types of hospitals were not different from the normative values for adults, however, a gradual decrease of the values of certain parameters in the over 70 years age group was observed. Although, the mean values of the studied parameters of the nutritional status were within the accepted normal range, 10.43% of the studied patients had BMI below 20 kg/m2, and 20.7% of the patients the serum albumin level was below 3.5 g/dl on admission, which could suggest protein-energy malnutrition. In a yet higher proportion of patients (21%) lymphocyte count was below 1500/mm3. During hospital stay tendency became even more pronounced. On discharge from hospital the proportion of patients with BMI below 20 kg/m2 rose to 11.21%, and with serum albumin level below 3.5 g/dl rose to 28.6%. Only the proportion of patients with low lymphocyte count remained unchanged during hospital stay and was 21.1% on discharge. In the studied population 42.29% of the patients reported receiving of additional food beyond hospital diet.

[Nutritional status of patients in hospitals in Poland. More thorough assessment of nutritional status of adult patients]. / Stan odzywienia pacjentów w szpitalach w Polsce. II. Poglebiona ocena stanu odzywienia pacjentów doroslych.

The purpose of the study was a more thorough assessment of the nutrition state of patients admitted to hospitals in Poland. The study was carried out in four hospitals at teaching centre level, in four hospitals at province level, and in four county hospitals. The patients for the study were selected randomly from 3310 adult patients (every 10th patient admitted to these hospitals). For the study 210 patients (122 women and 88 men) were qualified. Their mean age was 54 +/- 16 years (range 15-82 years). The patients were subjected to various biochemical tests including determination of antioxidant vitamins (vitamins A, E and C), vitamin B12, folic acid, ferritin, and homocysteine and blood lipids. Vitamin deficiency accepted as vitamin malnutrition was found in the case of vitamin C in 51.8% of the patients, folic acid in 32%, vitamin E in 10%, vitamin B12 in 6.8%, vitamin A in 1.4%. Vitamin deficiency was equally frequent in patients with malnutrition, overweight or with obesity. Lipid profile disturbances were found in 51% and high homocysteine level in 63% of the studied patients.