High nutrition risk is associated with higher risk of dysphagia in advanced age adults newly admitted to hospital

Aim

To establish the prevalence of nutrition risk and associated risk factors among adults of advanced age newly admitted to hospital.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was undertaken in adults aged over 85 years admitted to one of two hospital wards in Auckland within the previous 5 days. An interviewer‐administered questionnaire was used to establish participant's socio‐demographic and health characteristics. Markers of body composition and muscle strength were collected. Nutrition risk was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment‐Short Form (MNA‐SF), dysphagia risk using the 10‐Item Eating Assessment Tool (EAT‐10) and level of cognition using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

Results

A total of 88 participants with a mean age of 90.0 ± 3.7 years completed the assessments. A third (28.4%) of the participants were categorised by the MNA‐SF as malnourished and 43.2% were classified at risk of malnutrition. A third (29.5%) were at risk of dysphagia as assessed by EAT‐10. Malnourished participants were more likely to be at risk of dysphagia (P = 0.015). The MNA‐SF score was positively correlated with body mass index (r = 0.484, P < 0.001) and grip strength (r = 0.250, P = 0.026) and negatively correlated with risk of dysphagia (r = ?0.383, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Among newly hospitalised adults of advanced age, over two thirds were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, and a third were at risk of dysphagia. Nutrition risk was positively correlated with low BMI and grip strength and negatively correlated with dysphagia risk. Findings highlight the importance of screening for dysphagia risk, especially in those identified to be malnourished or at nutrition risk.