Evaluation of nutritional status and prognosis in patients over 65 years old admitted to the emergency department

Argundogan H. Evaluation of Nutritional Status and Prognosis in Patients Over 65 Years Old Admitted to the Emergency Department. Eskisehir Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Specialization Thesis, Eskisehir, 2025. Malnutrition can be defined as "a condition resulting from insufficient intake or absorption of nutrients, leading to changes in body composition and body cell mass, which causes a decline in physical and mental functions and impairment in the clinical outcomes of diseases. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of patients over 65 years old admitted to the emergency department by examining their sociodemographic characteristics, history of chronic diseases, anthropometric measurements, laboratory values, and Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF). We assessed their hospital prognosis by analyzing their hospitalization/discharge status, hospital stay, length of hospital stay and survival rates. During the cross-sectional period between 01/04/2023 and 31/03/2024, 212 patients aged 65 and over who admitted to the Emergency Department of Eskisehir Osmangazi University Hospital and were consulted to Internal Medicine were included in the study. %48.58 (n=103) of the patients were female, and %51.41 (n=109) were male. In the screening for malnutrition using the MNA-SF test, a significant relationship was found with gender (p<0.05, males being more malnourished), body mass index (BMI) (p<0.05), weight loss (p<0.05), upper arm circumference (p<0.05), calf circumference (p<0.05), mobility (p<0.05), the patient's hemodynamics (p<0.05), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels (p<0.05), albumin levels (p<0.05), and CRP (c reaktif protein) levels (p<0.05). A significant relationship was established between malnutrition and mortality according to the MNA-SF screening test (p<0.05). In addition, a significant relationship was observed between mortality and parameters used in the identification of malnutrition, such as body mass index (BMI) (p<0.05), weight loss (p<0.05), upper arm circumference (p<0.05), waist circumference (p<0.05), presence of infection (p<0.05), albumin levels (p<0.05), and CRP levels (p<0.05). In light of the data obtained, it was concluded that malnutrition has an impact on prognosis, independent of the patients' comorbidities, and therefore, nutritional status should be screened during the initial evaluation of patients. Key Words: Malnutrition, Prognosis, MNA-SF