[Assessment of nutritional risks among elderly hospitalized patients - which body mass index and degree of weight loss should be considered?].

The "Subjective Global Assessment", the "Nutrition Risk Score" and a Danish counterpart are simple screening methods to detect patients at risk of nutrition-related complications. The cut-off points used in the screening are a body mass index (BMI) less than 20 kg/m2 (or 18.5 kg/m2 in the Danish version) and weight loss of more than 5% during the last month--regardless of age. This review of the literature indicates that the optimal range of BMI for elderly people is increasing from 18.7-25 kg/m2 to 24-29 kg/m2. It also suggests that a clinically significant weight loss for the elderly is around 5% annually, less than in younger age groups. Finally, there seems to be a high percentage of the old, especially those initially malnourished, who will not benefit from nutritional support. In conclusion, other cut-off points should be used for elderly (65+ years) patients, i.e. BMI less than 24 kg/m2 or any degree of weight loss.