Background: Distal radius fractures (DRF) are common in the elderly and are typically caused falls. Malnutrition has also been identified as a poor prognostic factor in elderly patients with fractures. However, the relationship between nutritional status and subsequent falls and functional prognosis for DRF in the elderly is not clear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between nutritional status and functional prognosis in elderly patients with DRF.
Methods: Study participants included 229 outpatients who required surgical treatment for DRF. The patients' clinical information, including age, sex, body mass index, bone mineral density, geriatric nnutritional risk index (GNRI), total number of drugs being treated with on admission, use of drugs for osteoporosis, comorbidity severity, the Barthel Index (BI), presence of subsequent falls, fracture type, postoperative follow-up period, and Mayo wrist score was reviewed. Subjects were further divided into two groups according to their GNRI: the malnutrition group and the normal group. Propensity score matching was used to confirm factors affecting the BI and subsequent falls.
Results: Thirty-one patients (13.5%) presented with malnutrition before surgery for DRF. According to multiple liner regression analysis, the GNRI positively affected the efficiency of the BI (β = 0.392, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.001 to 0.351, p = 0.039). Furthermore, on logistic regression analysis, subsequent falls were associated with serum albumin levels (odds ratio = 0.033, 95% CI, 0.002 to 0.477, p = 0.012).
Conclusion: Malnutrition impaired improvement of activities of daily living (ADL) and increased the incidence of subsequent falls. Improvement of nutritional status before DRF surgery may further improve ADL and prevent falls.
Keywords: Activity of daily living; Distal radius fracture; Falls; Geriatric; Nutritional status.