Abstract

CODAS, Manuel; ECHAGUE, Loren; RAMIREZ, Liliana  and  VIVEROS, Cynthia. Malmutrition in adult patients admitted to the Regional Hospital of Encarnación, Paraguay. Rev. virtual Soc. Parag. Med. Int. [online]. 2016, vol.3, n.1, pp.11-21. ISSN 2312-3893.  https://doi.org/10.18004/rvspmi/2312-3893/2016.03(01)11-021.

Introduction: Hospital malnutrition is a Public Health problem of high impact worldwide, particularly in Latin America. It generates higher morbimortality, worst response to treatment, longer stay at hospitals and higher hospital cost. It is frequently underestimated by health teams. Objective: To determine the malnutrition in adult patients admitted to the Service of Medical Clinic of the Regional Hospital of Encarnación from 2014 to 2015. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive observational study with an analytical component performed in 420 patients in whom a nutritional assessment was made using biochemical and anthropometric indicators at the admittance and at the fifth day of their stay. The nutritional state was compared using the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), body mass index (BMI) and albumin depletion. Results: According to the BMI at admittance, only 6.67% of the patients had malnutrition while according to the SGA at discharge, 51.2% had malnutrition risk and 14.5% had severe malnutrition and 48.33% had hypoalbuminemia <3.5 mg/dL. When BMI and albumin were compared with the malnutrition degrees according to SGA, associations between them was found. In 61.6%, hospital malnutrition was related to long hospital stay (>10 days). Lethality rate was 14% in the malnourished patients. Conclusions: Hospital malnutrition is a frequent finding in hospitalization rooms with a considerable lethality. We believe that this work, apart from obtaining an improvement of health assistance, will facilitate the awareness of medical staff and people responsible of Public Health because of the magnitude derived from malnutrition in hospitalized patients and at discharge.

Keywords : intra-hospital malnutrition; Subjective Global Assessment; body mass index; albumin; hospital stay.

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