title: Depressive symptoms and risk for malnutrition among hospitalized elderly people.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the association between depressive symptoms and risk for malnutrition in hospitalized elderly people.
  
  
  METHODS
  195 hospitalized medical patients older than 65 years of age were studied in a cross-sectional design. Depression was assessed by 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), nutritional status was evaluated by the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Eating and digestive problems were assessed using selected items of Nutrition Risk Index (NRI), cognitive and functional status by Folstein and Barthel indices respectively; demographic data, diagnoses and medications were obtained from medical records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of depression in the studied population was 28%. MNA scores were significantly lower among depressed patients as compared with non-depressed (22.86 vs. 24.96, p < 0.001), indicating a higher risk for undernutrition among depressed persons. After controlling for age, cognitive status, functional ability, and number of illnesses, undernutrition was significantly associated with depression (OR = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.04-4.8).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nutritional risk is associated with depression in aged inpatients. Close case management of the elderly hospitalized patients that include assessment and treatment for both disorders may be beneficial.
authors.affiliation: S. Daniel Abraham International Center for Health and Nutrition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. germanl@bgu.ac.il
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: German
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Feldblum
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bilenko
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Castel
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Harman-Boehm
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Shahar
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012307:Risk Factors