title: Decline in anthropometric evaluation predicts a poor prognosis in geriatric patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Malnutrition is frequent in the geriatric population and is often undetected and untreated. Although we often use serum albumin as a nutritional marker, it has limitations in elderly patients in terms of predicting diseases and infections. Anthropometric measurements are not commonly used, despite their simple, easy, and effective characteristics. We evaluated the associations between anthropometric measurements with other nutritional factors and examined its relationship with mortality, decubitus ulcer, length of hospital stay and antibiotic usage.
  
  
  METHODS
  We enrolled 223 patients, performed anthropometric measurements and then followed them for a mean of 24 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with hypoalbuminemia but with normal body measurements tended to increase serum albumin levels over the next 24 months and had more favorable outcomes including being discharged. Patients with normal albumin but decreased body measurements resulted in a progressive drop in serum albumin and had a higher mortality rate. Additionally, patients with hypoalbuminemia had higher antibiotic usage than patients without hypoalbuminemia. Decreases in anthropometric measurements were related to mortality, length of hospital stay, and decubitus ulcer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anthropometric measurements are easily obtained and closely associated with mortality, decubitus ulcer, and length of hospital stay. Anthropometric measurements used in conjunction with serum albumin are more predictive of patient outcome then serum albumin alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Applied Nutrition, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 3-18-15, Kuramoto, Tokushima, 770-8503, Japan. rtsutsumi@nutr.med.tokushima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Rie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tsutsumi
authors.forename: Yasuo M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Tsutsumi
authors.forename: Yousuke T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Horikawa
authors.forename: Yozo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takehisa
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hosaka
authors.forename: Nagakatsu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakaya
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D034141:Hypoalbuminemia / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009749:Nutrition Surveys / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012709:Serum Albumin; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D012709:Serum Albumin