An 11-site cross-section survey on the prevalence of nutritional risk, malnutrition (undernutrition) and nutrition support among the diagnosis-related group of elderly inpatients younger than 90 years old with coronary heart disease in North and Central China

Abstract

Objective To investigate the prevalence of nutritional risk, undernutrition and nutritional support among elderly inpatients with coronary heart disease in 11 tertiary A hospitals in China. Methods Records of elderly patients under the age of 90 with coronary heart disease were collected between March 2012 and May 2012 from 11 tertiary A hospitals in China following the direction of diagnosis related group of Beijing government. Results A total of 1 279 consecutive cases were recruited with the average age 74 years old(65-89). The total nutritional risk prevalence was 28.14% (360/1 279). The prevalence of nutritional risk and nutritional risk score ≥5 increased with age. The prevalence of nutritional risk(12.88% vs. 30.08% vs. 42.28%) and nutritional risk scored ≥5 (10.86% vs. 18.61% vs. 27.78%)increased with age. Judging from BMI, most patients were overweight or obese (BMI≥24 kg/m2), accounting for 53.0% of the total, and prevalence of nutritional risk in this subgroup was 15.12% (96/635). The prevalence of nutritional risk in patients with normal BMI was 34.24%. The prevalence of undernutrition defined as BMI<18.5 kg/m2 was 4.25% (51/1 279), among which patients with score ≥5 account for 64.7% (33/51). The prevalence of undernutrition defined as nutritional impairment score=3 was 7.58% (97/1 279). In patients with nutritional risk, 57 were administrated nutrition support (16.6%); in patients without nutritional risk, 21 received nutrition support, mostly parenteral nutrition (16 cases, 76.2%). In patients with nutritional risk[(79.46±7.19) years vs.(76.40±6.16)years], there were statistically significant difference between those who received nutrition support and those who did not in terms of age and the ratio of patients with nutritional risk scored≥5(35.1% vs. 17.1%) (P=0.001, P=0.002). Conclusions The prevalence of nutritional risk in patients with coronary heart disease was high. The prevalence of undernutrition was low. Prevalence of overweight and obese was high, but there was still nutritional risk in this group of patients. The patients who received nutrition support were older and had high nutritional impairment score, but the indication is not rationale. Key words: Nutritional risk screening 2002; Diagnosis related group; Coronary heart disease; Nutritional risk; Nutrition support