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. 2013 May;17(3):170-3.
doi: 10.4103/0972-5229.117058.

Prevalence of malnutrition in a tertiary care hospital in India

Chandrashish Chakravarty  1 , Babita Hazarika, Lawni Goswami, Suresh Ramasubban
Affiliations

Prevalence of malnutrition in a tertiary care hospital in India

Chandrashish Chakravarty et al. Indian J Crit Care Med. 2013 May.

Abstract

Introduction: Malnutrition adversely affects clinical outcome of hospitalized patients. This observational prospective study was done to assess the prevalence of malnutrition and its grade among patients admitted in a mixed intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary care hospital in order to help devise a comprehensive nutrition program for the malnourished.

Materials and methods: A total of 500 sequential patients admitted to the ICU were screened on admission over a year period for malnutrition using the Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment (SGNA) score. Distribution of the degree of malnutrition according to co-morbidities was also documented.

Results: Of the total, 198 (39.6%) patients were malnourished, including one patient qualifying as severely malnourished; 68% patients were male, however, there was no statistically significant difference between nutrition status between sexes. Hypertension, diabetes, and cancer were the three most commonly encountered co-morbidities among the malnourished. A total of 86% of all cancer patients admitted were malnourished against only 12% of trauma patients.

Conclusion: This study showed that almost two-fifth of the patients admitted were malnourished in this tertiary care hospital and that there is an urgent need to develop a comprehensive nutritional care program in many such Indian ICUs.

Keywords: Indian intensive care unit; malnutrition; subjective global nutritional assessment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
ICU admitted co-morbid patients according to SGNA status (well nourished)
Figure 2
Figure 2
ICU admitted co-morbid patients according to SGNA status (moderately malnourished)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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