title: Prevalence of malnutrition and sarcopenia in a post-acute care geriatric unit: Applying the new ESPEN definition and EWGSOP criteria.
abstract: The European Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) consensus definition of malnutrition has been applied in hospitalized older diabetics and middle-aged patients, geriatric outpatients, and healthy elderly and young individuals. In a post-acute care setting, our aim was to assess malnutrition (ESPEN definition) and determine its relationship with sarcopenia in older in-patients deconditioned due to an acute process.
  
  
  
  Eighty-eight in-patients aged ≥70 years with body mass index (BMI) <30 kg/m2were included (84.1 years old; 62% women) and screened for malnutrition risk using biochemical markers and Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF). The ESPEN definition was applied: 1) BMI <18.5 kg/m2or 2) unintentional weight loss plus a) low BMI or b) low fat-free mass index (FFMI). European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) criteria were also applied.
  
  
  
  Unintentional weight loss occurred in 27 (30.7%) of 88 in-patients considered "at risk" by MNA-SF. Malnutrition prevalence was 4.5%, 7.9%, and 17% using ESPEN definitions 1, 2a, and 2b, respectively; 19.3% were malnourished. Prevalence of sarcopenia was 37.5%, of which 90.9% fulfilled ESPEN malnutrition criteria, a significant association (p = 0.02). No differences in biochemical markers were observed between patients with or without malnutrition or sarcopenia.
  
  
  
  ESPEN criteria constitute an appropriate tool to establish a malnutrition diagnosis in post-acute care. Sarcopenia, as defined by EWGSOP, was present in 37.5% of patients, of which 90.9% fulfilled ESPEN criteria; therefore, malnutrition was significantly related to sarcopenia. Additional work is needed to determine further implications of the ESPEN consensus definition.
authors.affiliation: Geriatrics Department, Parc de Salut Mar (Centre Fòrum-Hospital del Mar), Barcelona, Spain; Rehabilitation Research Group, Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques, Barcelona, Spain; School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: 97662@parcdesalutmar.cat.
authors.forename: Dolores
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, Parc de Salut Mar (Hospital del Mar, Hospital de l'Esperança), Barcelona, Spain; Rehabilitation Research Group, Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques, Barcelona, Spain; School of Medicine, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Spain. Electronic address: emarco@parcdesalutmar.cat.
authors.forename: Ester
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marco
authors.affiliation: Geriatrics Department, Parc de Salut Mar (Centre Fòrum-Hospital del Mar), Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: 61309@parcdesalutmar.cat.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ronquillo-Moreno
authors.affiliation: Geriatrics Department, Parc de Salut Mar (Centre Fòrum-Hospital del Mar), Barcelona, Spain; School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: 36286@parcdesalutmar.cat.
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miralles
authors.affiliation: Geriatrics Department, Parc de Salut Mar (Centre Fòrum-Hospital del Mar), Barcelona, Spain; School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: 92257@parcdesalutmar.cat.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Ibar
authors.affiliation: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, Parc de Salut Mar (Hospital del Mar, Hospital de l'Esperança), Barcelona, Spain; Rehabilitation Research Group, Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques, Barcelona, Spain; School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: 87637@parcdesalutmar.cat.
authors.forename: Ferran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Escalada
authors.affiliation: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, Parc de Salut Mar (Hospital del Mar, Hospital de l'Esperança), Barcelona, Spain; Rehabilitation Research Group, Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques, Barcelona, Spain; School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: 87662@parcdesalutmar.cat.
authors.forename: Josep M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Muniesa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019467:Subacute Care; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: ESPEN criteria; EWGSOP; Malnutrition; Older people; Post-acute; Sarcopenia