Knowledge of malnutrition has improved – but many people still suffer from it.

Article in NEJM Written by Tommy Cederholm, Professor Emeritus of Clinical Nutrition at Uppsala University, and Ingvar Bosaius, Chief Physician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, it is based on a synthesis of the state of knowledge over the past five decades with a particular focus on what has happened in the past five years.

The article notes that knowledge about malnutrition and its treatment has made great strides in recent years. However, up to half of hospital patients are malnourished, and the problem is even more prevalent in geriatric clinics.

Their synthesis shows that weight loss and malnutrition have traditionally been understood as expressions of disease or ageing that cannot be helped. It is now known that the underlying disease often causes patients to eat less and organs and tissues to break down. Large new therapeutic studies clearly show that malnutrition can be reversed.

– There are very few patients who are diagnosed with malnutrition. In healthcare and elderly care, there is still a problem of underdiagnosis and undertreatment, not only in Sweden but all over the world. But with fairly simple methods, patients and elderly people can feel much better, says Tommy Cederholm in a press release from Uppsala University.

Recent studies show, among other things, that counselling and treatment in collaboration with nutritionists, as well as the use of nutritional drinks, 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, fatal diseases, such as metastatic cancer, for example. In Sweden, for example, we have been working on this for many years, but we must become better, says Ingvar Bosaius in the press release.

Now they are proposing concrete measures to reduce the suffering.

– 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 a timely manner, for example with nutritional drinks. Knowing this should become a more visible part of both basic education and specialist education for doctors and nurses, says Tommy Cederholm in the press release.

Lakartidningen.se 2024-07-17