The Profile of a Neurology Clinic and Malnutrition Awareness

Abstract

Objective: Malnutrition is common in patients on admission to hospital, affecting morbidity and mortality. Our study was planned to assess the risk of malnutrition on admission, related comorbidities, and laboratory parameters

Materials and Methods: All hospitalized patients in our clinic between June 2016 and January 2018 were included in the study. Age, sex, diagnosis and comorbidities were recorded. Laboratory parameters including, creatinine, albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP), lymphocyte count, and lipid profile were studied. Malnutrition risk was calculated using the mini nutritional assessment for patients ≥65 years of age and the Nutrition Risk Screening 2002 for younger patients (<65 years of age).

Results: One hundred twenty-eight patients were included in the study. Of these, 45.5% were women and the mean age of the patients was 61.54±16.96 years. The rates of diagnoses were as follows: 68.4% ischemic stroke, 8% demyelinating disease, 5.6% hemorrhagic stroke, 4.3% central nervous system (CNS) infection, 3.8% movement disorders, 2.7% polyneuropathy, 1.8% epilepsy, 1.6% pseudotumor cerebri, 1.2% cranial neuropathy, 1% dementia, 0.6% metabolic disorders, and 0.7% myasthenia gravis. The most common comorbidity was hyperlipidemia. Out of 728 patients, 28.4% were nutritionally at risk on admission. The malnutrition risk was 30% in patients with stroke. The malnutrition risks were 19% for CNS infections, 32% for movement disorders, 25% for polyneuropathy, 24% for demyelinating diseases, 0.8% for pseudotumor cerebri, and 15% for epilepsy. Diabetes mellitus was significantly associated with malnutrition risk. Hypoalbuminemia, higher creatinine, and CRP levels were significantly associated with malnutrition risk.

Conclusion: The prevalence of malnutrition is high in neurology clinics. As malnutrition is frequently observed in patients with stroke, it is often identified in other neurologic diseases. Diabetes increases the risk of malnutrition. Physicians should be alert to hypoalbuminemia, higher creatinine, and CRP levels.

The study was approved by Bakirkoy Education and Training Hospital of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry’s Clinical Ethics Research Committee (number: 6638, date: 18.02.2019).

All the patients involved in the study provided written informed consent.

Externally and internally peer-reviewed.

Concept: E.Ç., A.S., Design: E.Ç., A.S., Data Collection or Processing: E.Ç., Analysis or Interpretation: E.Ç., Literature Search: E.Ç., Writing: E.Ç.

No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.

The authors declared that this study received no financial support.