Evaluación del estado nutricional al ingreso hospitalario y su asociación con la morbilidad y mortalidad en pacientes mexicanos

Introduction: Malnutrition after hospital admission has been described over 70 years as a very common health problem. In Mexico, data reported go from 20-50%, but the prevalence and its association with short-term morbidity and mortality has not been studied. Objectives: To evaluate the nutritional status and its association with hospital morbidity and mortality in adult Mexican patients. Methods: Prospective cohort study of 610 adult patients admitted in the Specialties Hospital, Western National Medical Center, with a hospital stay longer than 5 days and in whom weight and height could be measured. Nutritional diagnosis of patients at admission and discharge of the hospital, diagnosis of disease, complications and death were recorded. Nutritional status was obtained using the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA). Data was analyzed using Student's t Test, Chi-square Test and Fisher's Exact Test. Results: A total of 610 patients were included with a mean age of 50.8 +/- 17.32 years; 267 (43.8%) were female and 343 (56.2%) male. A total of 154 patients (25.2%) were in risk of malnutrition or malnourished and 456 (74.8%) well-nourished according to SGA, (p = 0.001). Difference in weight and BMI were statistically significant between both groups (p = 0.001). The total cohort morbidity had a RR = 2.70, with 95% CI (2.06-3.55), and mortality RR = 2.64, with a 95% CI (1.74-4.0), both with a significant difference (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Malnutrition at hospital admission constitutes a risk factor for complications or mortality in patients admitted for more than 5 days. This condition at admission compared to a well-nourished patient increased risk of mortality by up to 2.64 times.