Nutritional Status Might Be Related to Physical Performance and Functionality in Older Adults

Abstract

It was aimed to investigate the effect of malnutrition with and the risk of malnutrition in elderly individuals with regards to other geriatric syndromes and comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) parameters. Patients who applied to the geriatric outpatient clinic between January 2019 and June 2020 were included in the study. 460 patients were examined. The patients were divided into three groups according to malnutrition, malnutrition-risk, and normal nutritional status. These three groups were compared in terms of geriatric syndromes and CGA parameters. The well-nourished group and the risk of malnutrition and malnutrition group were compared in terms of geriatric syndromes and CGA parameters adjusted for age and gender. Of 460 patients, 64.5% of these patients were female, and the mean age was 77.75±8.12, 65 had malnutrition, and 141 had malnutrition-risk. When the well-nourished group was compared with the malnutrition and malnutrition-risk group, age, education year, frequency of cerebrovascular disease were statistically different. The frequency of falls, dementia, sleep disturbance, urinary incontinence, orthostatic hypotension, polypharmacy, sarcopenia, and frailty was higher in groups with malnutrition and malnutrition-risk than in the normal group (p<0.05). Also, activities of daily living (ADLs) and gait and balance scores were lower in the group with malnutrition and malnutrition risk (p<0.05). In the regression analysis adjusted for age and gender, geriatric depression, urinary incontinence, dementia, orthostatic hypotension, sarcopenia, and frailty were increased in the group with malnutrition and malnutrition risk compared to the normal group (p<0.05). Malnutrition and risk of malnutrition is associated with other geriatric syndromes and deterioration in ADLs. Therefore, nutritional evaluation must be included in the assessment of older adults, and necessary interventions should be made to optimize the nutritional status.