NUTRITIONAL RISK SCREENING IN GASTROENTEROLOGICAL PATIENTS AT THE RIJEKA UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL CENTRE.

Malnutrition is usually related to some diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, chronic pancreatitis, chronic liver disease and malignant tumors. It is characterized by weight loss, protein deficiency, and deficit of specific nutrients. The aim was to estimate the prevalence of nutritional risk among 160 gastrointestinal patients by use of the Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS-2002) score at hospital admission and discharge. The patients stayed in the hospital between 5 and 15 days or longer. Results showed that 40% of patients at admission and 36.2% at discharge were malnourished. There were 53.1% of patients with recognized malnutrition at admission that received nutritional support, whereas at discharge 34.4% of patients at risk were not dietary supported. Malnourished patients were significantly older, had lower body mass index, longer hospital stay and higher rate of malignant diseases than properly nourished patients. Regular screening for malnutrition should be conveyed in hospitals as to provide appropriate dietary support for all patients at risk.