- 52,7 % of patients over 65 years old in this study were malnourished and 27,5%were at risk of malnutrition.
- Main probable reasons that explain malnutrition are:
- The protein that made up muscles was consumed by the acute inflammatory response to the infection;
- Comorbidity with diabetes mellitus;
- Gastro-intestinal symptoms caused by SARS-CoV-2 exacerbated malnutrition;
- Poor appetite of patients, which is also linked to anxiety.
- Albumin level and calf circumference were significantly lower in malnutrition group compared to non-malnutrition groups.
This data come from a cross-sectional study. 182 hospitalized patients were included. They were divided into non-malnutrition group, risk of malnutrition group and malnutrition group. They wanted to study the prevalence of malnutrition and its related factors in elderly patients with COVID-19. This study was made in Wuhan, China.
Source:
- Li T., Zhang Y., Gong C., et al. (April 22, 2020). Prevalence of malnutrition and analysis of related factors in elderly patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-020-0642-3