title: [ Evaluation of the nutritional state of patients in emergency services: contribution in measurement of body composition].
abstract: Weight and body mass index are used in clinical routine to detect malnourished patients. However, a study performed at the emergency admission of the University Hospital of Geneva shows that the prevalence of malnutrition is very underestimated when based on body mass index instead of fat-free mass. Indeed, a third of the patients with normal body mass index, i.e. between 20 and 24.9 kg/m2, present a fat-free mass under percentile 10. This suggests that the body mass index alone cannot be used as diagnostic criteria for malnutrition. This review describes the prevalence of malnutrition at the emergency admission of the University Hospital of Geneva, the prevalence of malnutrition in the literature and its relationship with length of hospital stay and mortality.
authors.affiliation: Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Genton
authors.forename: Ursula G
authors.initials: UG
authors.lastname: Kyle
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maisonneuve
authors.forename: Yves M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Dupertuis
authors.forename: Véronique L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Karsegard
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pichard
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D015995:Prevalence