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. 2012 Mar;16(3):231-6.
doi: 10.1007/s12603-011-0347-3.

Nutritional and psycho-functional status in elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease

B Saragat  1 , R Buffa, E Mereu, V Succa, S Cabras, R M Mereu, D Viale, P F Putzu, E Marini
Affiliations

Nutritional and psycho-functional status in elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease

B Saragat et al. J Nutr Health Aging. 2012 Mar.

Abstract

Objectives: Analysis of variations of nutritional status in relation to psycho-functional conditions in elderly patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) by means of bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Alzheimer Center, SS. Trinità Hospital, Cagliari (Italy).

Participants: 83 free-living patients (29 men, 54 women) with mild-moderate Alzheimer's disease, aged 66 to 96 years, and 91 age-matched controls (37 men and 54 women).

Measurements: Nutritional status was evaluated by anthropometry (weight, height, waist and upper arm circumferences, triceps skinfold; body mass index, BMI; arm muscle area, AMA); Mini Nutritional Assessment, MNA®; bioelectrical impedance vector analysis, BIVA. Psycho-functional status was assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL).

Results: Compared to the control groups, patients with Alzheimer's disease had a worse psycho-functional and nutritional status. BIVA detected lower body cell mass in Alzheimer's patients with respect to controls (men: T²= 23.4; women: T²=27.3; p<0.01), as well as in the female patients with lower levels of IADL and MMSE (respectively, T²= 8.0; T²=7.4; p<0.05). In patients with AD, a worse psycho-functional status was associated with obesity.

Conclusion: The psycho-functional decline of patients with AD is related to body composition variations, with a relative increase of fat mass with respect to the muscle component. The BIVA technique distinguished patients from controls and patients with different levels of cognitive decline. Therefore, it is a suitable tool for the screening and monitoring of nutritional status in Alzheimer's disease.

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