title: Experience over 12 years with home enteral nutrition in a healthcare area of Spain.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The wide spread use of long-term enteral nutrition and the substantive costs dictate a need to study the outcome, as well as the clinical and epidemiological characteristics, of these patients. The present study aimed to analyse the incidence and characteristics of a cohort of patients on home enteral nutrition (HEN) over 12 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective observational study was performed between January 1999 and December 2010. All adult patients living in Valladolid West area who were discharged from the hospital on HEN were prospectively studied and followed up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of HEN ranged between 9.52 per 100, 000 inhabitants in 2001 to 30.0 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2009. HEN was administered orally in 472 patients (68.28%) (group 1), and through a nasogastric tube in 168 patients (24.30%), a percutaneous enteral gastrostomy tube in 47 patients (6.80%) and a jejunostomy in four patients (0.60%) (group 2; 219 patients). During the course of HEN, 31 patients had diarrhoea (4.5%), 17 patients had constipation and 12 patients had nausea. The mean (SD) duration of HEN was 159.9 (97) days. In multivariable analysis, an independent factor associated with death was age (hazard ratio = 1.03; 95% confidence interval - 1.01-1.05), adjusted by sex, route and diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HEN has a high incidence in our area and it is a valid and safe technique for nutrition support.
authors: Unit of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital University Rio Hortega, Institute of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Medicine School, Valladolid, Spain. dadluis@yahoo.es
authors: D A
authors: DA
authors: De Luis
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Izaola
authors: L A
authors: LA
authors: Cuellar
authors: M C
authors: MC
authors: Terroba
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Cabezas
authors: B
authors: B
authors: De La Fuente
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003248:Constipation / Q000453:epidemiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005774:Gastrostomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006699:Home Care Services; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007441:Intubation, Gastrointestinal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007582:Jejunostomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009325:Nausea / Q000453:epidemiology; D010351:Patient Discharge; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome