Markers of the nutritional status in acutely ill elderly patients.

We recorded anthropometric and laboratory data in 98 sick old people on admission to a high-dependency unit. The measurement of triceps skinfold thickness and arm muscle area was feasible even in very ill people, while measurement of the body mass index was difficult and sometimes unreliable. Anthropometric measurements indicated that our study group was better nourished than a local population, with just 3 subjects (3%) being fat depleted and a further 4 (5%) being protein depleted. Serum albumin was the laboratory variable that correlated best with anthropometric parameters. However, it was low in 47% of the subjects, indicating that its lower reference value needs to be redefined in this select group.