Detección del riesgo nutricional y estancia hospitalaria en el anciano hospitalizado.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS a high nutritional risk can independently be associated with a longer hospital stay in elderly patients. This study aims to establish the prevalence of the risk of malnutrition and its associated factors in a high-complexity level hospital in Bogota, Colombia, during 2018. METHODS a cross-sectional study. The prevalence of the risk of malnutrition was measured using a malnutrition-screening tool (MST), and the association with hospital stage, age, and patient diagnoses was assessed. RESULTS a total of 7,192 patients comprised the cohort. Age range was 61 to 108 years, with an average of 77.1 ± 9.2 years, and subjects were mostly female (55.5 %). We identified as main conditions urinary tract infections (8.4 %), congestive heart failure (5.4 %), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with an acute exacerbation (4.6 %). The prevalence of the risk of malnutrition was 41.4 %, significantly associated with longer hospital stays (p 8 days, patient age ≥ 80 years, and mainly diagnoses of delirium, diarrhea, and gastroenteritis of suspected infectious etiology.