Food intake of a typical Brazilian diet among hospitalized malnourished patients

Vitamin C Status in Hospitalized Adults According to Subjective Global Assessment Method

BACKGROUND

The subjective global assessment (SGA) is a powerful tool for nutrition status assessment. Our aim was to compare vitamin C serum levels among patients classified as A, B, or C in the SGA.

METHODS

One hundred-and-fifty adults in the wards of the University Hospital participated in this study. Besides SGA, all cases were submitted to anthropometry, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and 24-hour dietary recall. Laboratory data included blood hemoglobin, serum ferritin, serum albumin, transferrin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and vitamin C. Acute phase response was defined by serum CRP > 0.5 mg/dL; low serum vitamin C was defined by serum levels < 0.4 mg/dL. Analysis of variance and χ² tests were used to compare groups; P < 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

Patients were diagnosed as SGA A (n = 76), B (n = 38), or C (n = 36) and showed different anthropometry and BIA. The same occurred, respectively, with vitamin C (median; range, in mg/day) intake (55.0; 4.7-140.6 vs 34.0; 10.3-244.2 vs 15.8; 2.3-124.0) and high (%) CRP (88.3 vs 65.8 vs 48.7) and low (%) vitamin C serum levels (21.1 vs 34.2 vs 63.9).

CONCLUSION

Patients with worst nutrition parameters (SGA C) showed lower ascorbic acid serum levels than those classified as SGA A or B. These results are in accordance with reduced vitamin C intake and the presence of acute phase response.

Hospital malnutrition in Latin America: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Disease-related malnutrition is a major public health issue in both industrialised and emerging countries. The reported prevalence in hospitalised adults ranges from 20% to 50%. Initial reports from emerging countries suggested a higher prevalence compared with other regions, with limited data on outcomes and costs.

METHODS

We performed a systematic literature search for articles on disease-related malnutrition in Latin American countries published between January 1995 and September 2014. Studies reporting data on the prevalence, clinical outcomes, or economic costs of malnutrition in an adult (≥18 years) inpatient population with a sample size of ≥30 subjects were eligible for inclusion. Methodological quality of the studies was assessed by two independent reviewers using published criteria.

RESULTS

We identified 1467 citations; of these, 66 studies including 29 ,474 patients in 12 Latin American countries met the criteria for inclusion. There was considerable variability in methodology and in the reported prevalence of disease-related malnutrition; however, prevalence was consistently in the range of 40%-60% at the time of admission, with several studies reporting an increase in prevalence with increasing duration of hospitalisation. Disease-related malnutrition was associated with an increase in infectious and non-infectious clinical complications, length of hospital stay, and costs.

CONCLUSION

Disease-related malnutrition is a highly prevalent condition that imposes a substantial health and economic burden on the countries of Latin America. Further research is necessary to characterise screening/assessment practices and identify evidence-based solutions to this persistent and costly public health issue.

[Hospital food: proposals for qualification of the Food and Nutrition Service, evaluated by the scientific community]

The scope of this paper is to validate proposals used to qualify hospital food by the Brazilian scientific community. An electronic questionnaire was applied to clinical nutrition professionals registered on the Lattes Platform (Brazilian database of institutions and researchers' curricula in the areas of Science and Technology). The questionnaire incorporated a Likert scale and had spaces for comments. The themes dealt with patient participation, the nutritional and sensory quality of hospital diets, and planning and goals of the Hospital Food and Nutrition Service (HFNS). The questionnaire also asked for the top five priorities for a HFNS. Proposals with total or partial adherence equal to or greater than 70% were considered to be approved. All proposals had total adherence equal to or greater than 70%. The proposal that had minimal adherence (70%) was the one that proposed that nutritional intervention must be arranged by mutual agreement with the patient. The proposal that had maximal adherence (93%) was the one advocating that there must be statistical control on diets prescribed by the HFNS. The most cited priorities referred to infrastructure and training of human resources (40%), the quality of hospital food (27%) and the nutritional status of the patient.