It is estimated that up to one in ten elderly people in Sweden suffer from malnutrition. Of those cared for in hospitals, nursing homes or similar, more than half are malnourished. The condition can be reversed with relatively simple means. But this knowledge is not given enough attention, and many suffer from malnutrition in silence, say researchers from Uppsala University and the University of Gothenburg.
People who are malnourished lose weight, become deficient in nutrients and become weaker. Affected people can also become more susceptible to infection and need more care, which in turn can lead to longer periods of care and higher mortality rates.
tissue decomposes
Traditionally, weight loss and malnutrition were seen as a natural manifestation of illness or aging, and as something that could not be cured. It is now known that the most common cause of malnutrition is underlying diseases that cause people to eat less food and disrupt the body's organs and tissues.
Knowledge about malnutrition and its treatment has made great strides in recent years, and there is now consensus on how to make the diagnosis. It is a balance between weight loss, underweight and low muscle mass in people with poor appetite, with or without underlying disease.
Something can be done
Ingvar Bossaius, Chief Medical Officer at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, and Tommy Cederholm, Professor of Clinical Nutrition at Uppsala University, recently published a synthesis of the global state of knowledge regarding malnutrition.
Among other things, they point out that new studies clearly show that malnutrition can be reversed. Dietary supplements such as nutritional drinks and counseling with dietitians can slow weight loss and reduce mortality.
– These are simple measures that are ignored every day. Today we know that it is possible to cure the vast majority of patients, except for those with long-term incurable diseases, such as metastatic cancer. In Sweden, for example, we have been working on this for many years, but we must become better, says Ingvar Bosaius.
In the field of health care and elderly care, there is generally a problem of underdiagnosis and undertreatment, according to researchers. This applies not only to Sweden but all over the world.
Very few people get diagnosed.
A and o is to pay attention in time when someone is in the danger zone.
– Recording risk factors for malnutrition early, paying attention to weight loss and decreased appetite is crucial. You should also give early advice on nutrient-rich foods and start nutritional therapy in time, for example with nutritional drinks, says Tommy Cederholm.
It is believed that the level of knowledge also needs to be raised.
– Knowledge of this should become a much more visible part of the basic and specialist education of doctors and nurses.
Scientific material:
Malnutrition in adults, New England Journal of Medicine.
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