Current status and future vision of nutrition support team at the neurological hospital

Abstract

The effect of malnutrition on intractable neurological diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, is variable. Nutritional status is dependent on various factors such as disease characteristics; various symptoms including dysphagia, respiratory dysfunction, motor weakness, muscle rigidity, involuntary movement, and ataxia; and changes in energy metabolism caused by diseases and its stage. Nutritional therapy for patients with intractable neurological diseases requires the provision of tailor-made supports for individual patients based on sharing of knowledge and experience in multidisciplinary members. Evidence on nutritional management in the field of neurology is limited compared to that in the fields of surgery and internal medicine. This article thus aimed to describe the activities of the nutrition support team (NST) at our hospital that is specialized in intractable neurological diseases and the knowledge obtained through the activities.