Abstract
Pandemics and lockdowns may be associated with unpremeditated consequences, such as bodyweight changes, isolation, as well as sedentarity. Reports have been published on malnutrition among patients suffering from COVID-19. This study aimed to highlight the short-term effects of the lockdown on the nutritional health of elderly people living at home and benefiting from home care services, yet without any COVID-19 pathology. In 50 subjects displaying weight, body mass index, and MNA score stability two months earlier, we observed significant alterations in these parameters following the lockdown. Thus, malnutrition rose from 28–34% to 58%. Furthermore, trigger factors for malnutrition changed, with social isolation accounting for 64% of the confinement’s deleterious effects among the elderly. In conclusion, despite the elderly being not directly affected by SARS-CoV2, the nutritional status of elderly subjects living at home with no or only mild autonomy loss was greatly and rapidly affected by the lockdown. Moreover, the main trigger factors for malnutrition were essentially related to social isolation and depressive syndromes. Knowing the impact of confinement on the elderly’s health, these results may help further modulate ongoing public health interventions in case of future lockdowns.
Highlights
Though the pandemic linked to the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus has spread around the world, scientific research is still heavily mobilized to enhance the production of knowledge on the virus to optimize treatment and prevention of this disease.Clearly, without suffering directly from SARS-CoV2, many people are affected by serious deleterious effects in relation with the pandemic
This study, thought first to assess the impact of COVID-19-induced lockdown on the nutritional status of elderly subjects living at home, with none or only mild loss of autonomy
In order to detect and prevent undernutrition in the elderly living at home, the service e-Nutriv, supported by the APA (Réseau APA is a non-profit network of the Social and Solidarity Economy, which intervenes in the social, medico-social, and health fields to maintain home help and care in Haut-Rhin) network, recruited a cohort of 300 people, who were living in France and receiving help at home, involving monthly monitoring of weight and MNA® scoring
Summary
Though the pandemic linked to the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus has spread around the world, scientific research is still heavily mobilized to enhance the production of knowledge on the virus to optimize treatment and prevention of this disease.Clearly, without suffering directly from SARS-CoV2, many people are affected by serious deleterious effects in relation with the pandemic. The risk of malnutrition is multifactorial in nature, including psychosocial aspects, autonomy loss, decompensation of chronic pathologies, dementia syndromes, oral disorders, poly-medications, and other medical conditions. There are multiple consequences, including increased mortality and morbidity, as well as autonomy loss and deteriorated quality of life. Malnutrition is associated with its own morbidity and mortality in the elderly, which is independent of the underlying disease, and exerts a negative impact on their quality of life. It is, essential to prevent malnutrition or, in a worst-case scenario, to manage this condition as soon as diagnosed
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