Background: Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) is associated with an increase in morbi-mortality. It's prevalence in institutionalised elderly people is unknown in our environment. The aim of this study was to determine prevalence, typology and risk factors associated with PEM in institutionalised elderly people.
Subjects: 228 institutionalised elderly people, representative of the population in the town of Reus were studied. Among them 131 were resident geriatrics and 97 long-stay hospital patients.
Methods: Weight, mid-arm circumference, body mass-index, percentage of body fat, total cholesterol, total proteins, albumin, prealbumin and transferrin were determined. Predominantly caloric malnutrition was diagnosed if 2 or more anthropometric markers and less than 2 biochemical markers were affected. Predominantly protein malnutrition was diagnosed if 2 or more biochemical markers and less than 2 anthropometric markers were affected, and mixed-type PEM if 2 or more anthropometric markers and 2 or more biochemical markers coexist.
Results: The global prevalence of PEM was 26.7% (9.1% in the residencies and 50.5% in the hospitals). Predominantly Caloric, Protein and Mixed-type malnutrition prevalence was 7.4%, 11% and 8.3% respectively. The 3 types of PEM were more prevalent among the hospitalised patients. Dementia was associated in 73.7% of 19 patients diagnosed of mixed PEM.
Conclusions: A high prevalence of PEM was observed in the hospitalised patients. Hospitalisation was identified as an important risk factor in malnutrition, this could be explained by the diseases that make it necessary and the high prevalence of dementia observed in the hospitalised patients.