title: [Denutrition of elderly patients].
abstract: Undernutrition is common in elderly people being often underestimated and always dangerous, mostly in hospitalized patients. Such symptom is related to a decrease in protein-energy stores with age and due to different physiopathologic major causes, either a decrease in energy intake and/or endogenous denutrition. Diagnosis is always difficult and needs several criteria from food intake, anthropometric and biological measurements. Recent progress have been made in nutritional protein evaluation (albumin, prealbumin) with additional help of inflammatory proteins (AGR and CRP). In spite of the limits of the measurements of each parameter, simultaneous evaluation of such protein profile reduces interpretation mistakes and not only leads to precise diagnosis of denutrition symptom, but also permits a valuable follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Service de Gériatrie, Centre Hospitalier, Valence.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferry
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011228:Prealbumin / Q000032:analysis; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D011228:Prealbumin; D012709:Serum Albumin
vernacular_title: La dénutrition du sujet âgé.