Abstract
This study evaluated the measurement of adductor pollicis muscle thickness as a parameter for the assessment of nutritional status in patients admitted to a University Hospital in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul State. This is a prospective cross-sectional study with 64 adults and elderly patients. We evaluated the percentage of weight loss based on the usual weight, arm circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, arm muscle circumference, laboratory parameters and measurement of adductor pollicis muscle thickness. The measurements were performed only once, in the first 72 hours of hospitalization. Data were analyzed using statistical software BioEstat 5.0, with a significance level of 0.05. The average thickness of the adductor pollicis muscle was 17.5 + 5.3 mm. We found a significant negative association of muscle with age. There was a significant association between the measure of muscle and parameters such as body mass index, arm circumference, arm muscle circumference, albumin and nutritional status assessed by physical examination. The adductor pollicis muscle allows easy measurement, direct assessment, fast results, low cost and good correlation with anthropometric parameters. However, further studies should be conducted to validate this new method.
Highlights
The prevalence of malnutrition in hospital settings ranges from 20 to 50% in several studies, according to the criteria used, being considered a public health issue associated with significantly increased morbidity and mortality, and so nutritional assessment is crucial to diagnose and correct the nutritional status, reducing hospital costs and mortality
There is no method of nutritional assessment able to accurately and Maringá, v. 37, n. 2, p. 111-117, July-Dec., 2015 separately diagnose changes in nutritional status (RASLAN et al, 2010; 2011; BARKER et al, 2011)
Technology innovations led to the development of many instruments for the assessment of body composition
Summary
The prevalence of malnutrition in hospital settings ranges from 20 to 50% in several studies, according to the criteria used, being considered a public health issue associated with significantly increased morbidity and mortality, and so nutritional assessment is crucial to diagnose and correct the nutritional status, reducing hospital costs and mortality 111-117, July-Dec., 2015 separately diagnose changes in nutritional status (RASLAN et al, 2010; 2011; BARKER et al, 2011). Technology innovations led to the development of many instruments for the assessment of body composition. They present a high cost, which limits their use in clinical practice (LAMEU et al, 2004a; GONZALEZ et al, 2010)
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