Our objective was to determine whether nutritional status correlates with mortality in sepsis patients. Data from a nationwide registration database were utilized for this population-based cohort study. The study subjects comprised adults who received standard health examinations before being admitted to the hospital for sepsis and were diagnosed with sepsis between 2018 and 2020. Nutrition scores were evaluated using the Nutritional Lifestyle Assessment Tool in South Korea. Overall, 2482 patients with sepsis were included in this study. The 90-day and 1-year mortality rates in patients with sepsis were 26.8% (664/2482) and 34.2% (848/2482), respectively. In the covariate-adjusted multivariable logistic regression model, a 1-point increase in nutrition score was associated with a decrease in 90-day mortality in patients with sepsis (odds ratio [OR]: 0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.97, 0.98; p = 0.025). In the covariate-adjusted multivariable Cox regression model, a 1-point increase in nutrition score was associated with a decrease in 1-year mortality in patients with sepsis (hazard ratio [H.R.]: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.98, 0.99; p = 0.035). Our results suggest that adequate dietary intake and healthy eating habits might protect against mortality among sepsis patients.
Keywords: body mass index; critical care; intensive care unit; sepsis; septic shock.