Geriatrik Hastalarda Malnütrisyon, Depresif Belirtiler Ve Bilişsel Bozulma Arasındaki İlişki

Abstract

Aim: Malnutrition is an important health problem that is frequently seen in elderly individuals and has cognitive and psychological effects. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the frequencies of malnutrition, cognitive impairment and depression in the elderly population and the relationship between these three variables.Material and Methods: In this retrospective study, data of 433 patients aged 65 and over who applied to a university hospital geriatrics outpatient clinic in Turkey were included. Nutritional status was evaluated with the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF), depressive symptoms with the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form (GDS-15) and cognitive functions with the Mini Mental State Examination results (MMSE).Results: According to the MNA-SF results, 13.6% of the elderly were malnourished, 30% were at risk of malnutrition. Of all patients, 45.0% had a GDS-15 score of ≥5, 12.5% had severe dementia, and 24.7% had mild dementia. The frequency of depressive symptoms was 62.7% in malnourished patients, and 42.3% in those with malnutrition risk. Malnutrition and malnutrition risk were observed in 70.4% of patients diagnosed with severe dementia. There was a correlation between the severity of malnutrition and depressive symptoms and cognitive dysfunction.Conclusion: Malnutrition was common in the older population sample and was associated with cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms. These findings emphasize that counseling and psychiatry services should be provided to risky groups and they should be evaluated regularly for early diagnosis.