title: Refeeding syndrome: clinical and nutritional relevance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Feedback syndrome is characterized clinically by neurological alterations, respiratory symptoms, arrhythmias and heart failure few days after refeeding. It happens due to severe electrolyte changes, such as hypophosphatemia, hypomagnesemia and hypokalemia associated with metabolic abnormalities that may occur as a result of nutritional support (oral, enteral or parenteral) in severely malnourished patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate its causes and the preventive dietary measures aiming to reduce the morbimortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Was conducted literature review in SciELO, LILACS, Medline / PUBMED, Cochrane Library and government websites in Portuguese, English and Spanish. The survey was about the last 15 years, selecting the headings: refeeding syndrome, malnutrition, hypophosphatemia, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The monitoring of metabolic parameters and electrolyte levels before starting nutritional support and periodically during feeding should be based on protocols and the duration of therapy. Patients at high risk and other metabolic complications should be followed closely, and depletion of minerals and electrolytes should be replaced before starting the diet. A multidisciplinary team of nutrition therapy can guide and educate other health professionals in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Nutrição, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Larissa de Andrade
authors.initials: Lde A
authors.lastname: Viana
authors.forename: Maria Goretti Pessoa de Araújo
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Burgos
authors.forename: Rafaella de Andrade
authors.initials: Rde A
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D055677:Refeeding Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control