Visceral fat area measured by electrical bioimpedance as an aggravating factor of COVID-19: a study on body composition.

INTRODUCTION: Severe forms of COVID-19 are more common in patients with abnormal fat distribution, particularly high visceral adiposity. The patient's muscle strength may be reduced during the acute phase of the infection. Electrical bioimpedance (BIA) is a non-invasive method for measuring body compartments and estimating visceral fat area (VFA) that can be used at the bedside. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between several body composition parameters, primarily high adipose tissue and high VFA, in patients with and without a diagnosis of COVID-19 infection, and whether it worsened the severity parameters. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in a private hospital in the city of São Paulo from March 2020 to August 2021. The demographic and clinical data was collected from medical reports. Body composition is assessed using the InBODY® model S10 bioelectrical impedance device and a Jamar® digital hydraulic manual dynamometer with a scale from 0 to 90 kg is used to measure handgrip strength (HGS). RESULTS: A total of 96 patients with a mean age of 69.1 years (SD 15) were divided into two groups of 48 individuals, with and without COVID-19 infection. Body mass index (odds ratio [OR]: 4.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.69, 11.83), fat mass (OR: 2.03, 95% CI: 0.48, 8.55), and VFA (OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 0.33, 3.53) were all higher in the infection group. When COVID-19 patients were evaluated, those with higher VFA had longer hospital stays (OR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.97, 1.01) and used more vasoactive drugs (p = 0.043). Patients with COVID-19 with poor handgrip strength were 3.29 times more likely to require a prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay. CONCLUSION: The study concluded that excess weight and body fat are significantly associated with COVID-19 involvement, but the severity is primarily related to a greater area of visceral fat. The use of bioimpedance for visceral fat measurement was effective, as it is a simple method performed in the hospital setting that does not require the use of radiation.

Impact of the Nutritional Status on Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Coronavirus Disease Undergoing Cancer Treatment.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a critical and potentially fatal condition. The nutritional status affects the evolution and clinical outcome throughout the disease course among factors influencing the patient prognosis. In patients with cancer, the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) is the preferred instrument for assessing the nutritional status. The aim of this retrospective cross-sectional study was to evaluate the impact of the nutritional status on the clinical outcome of patients with COVID-19 undergoing cancer treatment. We enrolled 52 patients with cancer under outpatient follow-up who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 during the cancer treatment course. The PG-SGA instrument revealed age (p = 0.045) and nutritional status (p = 0.042) before infection as the main risk factors of death from COVID-19. In addition, the risk of mortality due to COVID-19 increased with the degree of malnutrition. Twelve (23.1%) of the 52 patients showed no negative effects related to COVID-19, and age below 65 years was considered to be a protective factor.

[Standardized nutritional intervention in hypoglycemic inpatients]. / Intervenção nutricional padronizada em pacientes hipoglicêmicos hospitalizados.

The ingestion of rapid absorption carbohydrates (RAC) can be useful to increase serum glucose. This sudy aimed to assess the effectiveness and applicability of nutritional intervention in hypoglycemic situations suffered by conscious inpatients in a general hospital who were receiving oral diet. Seventy-six patients were eligible. Hypoglycemia was defined as a capillary glucose level of > or =50 to < or =70 mg/dL. Nutritional intervention consisted in providing 15-4 g of RAC. The level of capillary glucose was checked after 15 to 20 minutes of the intervention. During the studied period, the rate of effectiveness of the nutritional intervention was 97.6%. Results show that the administration of RAC, a non-invasive method, was applicable in a general hospital and was also potentially effective in restoring capillary glucose levels in conscious hypoglycemic inpatients receiving an oral diet.

Intervenção nutricional padronizada em pacientes hipoglicêmicos hospitalizados / Standardized nutritional intervention in hypoglycemic inpatients / Intervención nutricional estandarizado en pacientes con hipoglucemia y hospitalizados

A ingestão de carboidratos de rápida absorção (CRA) pode ser útil para o aumento sérico de glicose. Neste contexto, os principais objetivos foram avaliar a eficácia e a aplicabilidade da intervenção nutricional em situações hipoglicêmicas apresentadas por pacientes conscientes, com dieta via oral e internados em hospital geral. Setenta e seis pacientes foram elegíveis e a hipoglicemia foi definida como nível de glicemia capilar ³ 50 até £ 70mg/dL. A intervenção nutricional constituiu na oferta de 15 a 24 gramas de CRA. Houve a conferência da glicemia capilar após 15-20 minutos da intervenção. A taxa de efetividade da intervenção nutricional foi de 97,6%, durante o período de estudo. Conclui-se que a administração de CRA, um método não invasivo, foi aplicável em unidades de um hospital geral e foi potencialmente eficaz na restauração da glicemia capilar em pacientes hipoglicêmicos com dieta via oral e conscientes.

La ingesta de hidratos de carbono de absorción rápida (HAR) puede ser útil a la glucosa sérica. En este contexto, los principales objetivos fueron evaluar la eficacia y aplicabilidad de la atención nutricional en situaciones de hipoglucemia en el hospital general. Setenta y seis pacientes fueron elegibles. La hipoglucemia se definió como el nivel de glucosa en sangre ≥ 50 a ≤ 70 mg/dL. Intervención nutricional que se ofrecía 15 a 24 gramos de HAR. Hubo una conferencia de glucosa en la sangre después de 15-20 minutos de acción. La tasa de eficacia de la intervención nutricional fue del 97,6% durante el período de estudio. Se concluye que la administración de HAR, un método no invasivo, es aplicable en las unidades de hospital general y fue potencialmente eficaz en la restauración de la glucosa en sangre en pacientes con hipoglucemia, consciente, y con dieta oral.

The ingestion of rapid absorption carbohydrates (RAC) can be useful to increase serum glucose. This sudy aimed to assess the effectiveness and applicability of nutritional intervention in hypoglycemic situations suffered by conscious inpatients in a general hospital who were receiving oral diet. Seventy-six patients were eligible. Hypoglycemia was defined as a capillary glucose level of ≥ 50 to ≤ 70 mg/dL. Nutritional intervention consisted in providing 15-24 g of RAC. The level of capillary glucose was checked after 15 to 20 minutes of the intervention. During the studied period, the rate of effectiveness of the nutritional intervention was 97.6%. Results show that the administration of RAC, a non-invasive method, was applicable in a general hospital and was also potentially effective in restoring capillary glucose levels in conscious hypoglycemic inpatients receiving an oral diet.