The prevalence of undiagnosed protein-calorie undernutrition in a population of hospitalized elderly patients.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the extent to which patients with objective signs of malnutrition had been diagnosed as such by physicians and the diagnosis documented in the medical record.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SUBJECTS

All non-critically ill patients (n = 121) aged 70 years or older admitted to an Oslo hospital during a 3-week period.

METHODS

Compared problem list and other elements of the medical record with observations of height, weight, triceps skinfold, midarm circumference, and arm-muscle circumference made on first weekday in hospital. Serum albumin available on 66 subjects.

MAIN RESULTS

Nine patients had weight/height ratios below 60% of normal, 16 patients between 60% and 75%, and 41 patients between 74% and 90% of normal. Of these 66 patients, only 24 were recognized as malnourished on admission, only five received nutritional support, and none was diagnosed as having malnutrition at the time of discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

Malnutrition is underdiagnosed and undertreated. The consequences of this are likely to be deleterious to health.