In elderly frail heart failure patients, 19.8% were malnourished and 37.8% had unintentional weight loss ≥5%, indicating need for tailored nutritional interventions.
What is the prevalence of malnutrition and geriatric syndromes in frail elderly patients with heart failure?
A high proportion of frail elderly patients with heart failure suffer from malnutrition, unintentional weight loss, and polypharmacy, highlighting the need for targeted geriatric and nutritional interventions.
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Abstract Introduction Frailty is common in elderly patients with heart failure (HF). Detecting it can be useful for implementing a multicomponent intervention in selected patients, where nutritional assessment plays a fundamental role. Methods A total of 278 patients (≥ 65 years old) were visited in a HF unit (between March 2021 and January 2025) and had previously been identified as frail using the VES-13 questionnaire (≥ 3 points). They were assessed by a geriatrics team, and the following variables were recorded: age, Lawton and Barthel index (LI and BI), Pfeiffer test (PT), VIG frailty index (FI-VIG), and the presence of geriatric syndromes. Nutritional status was assessed using BMI, percentage of weight loss, MNAsf, and known dysphagia. Malnutrition was defined based on ESPEN criteria. Results Mean age (±SD): 80.5±5.4 years, BI 76.9±20.7, LI 3.9±2.6, PT 1.6±1.9 errors, and FI-VIG 0.4±0.3. Nutritional values were: BMI 25.7±4.6, MNAsf 10.6±2.7, percentage of weight loss 3.4±5.6. At first visit, 20 patients (7.2%) had dysphagia, and 55 (19.8%) met malnutrition criteria. The most prevalent geriatric syndromes were: polypharmacy 98.9% (275), incontinence 60.8% (169), hearing loss 42.1% (117), and insomnia 40.6% (113). Additionally, 19 patients (6.8%) had pressure ulcers, and 105 patients (37.8%) had an unintentional weight loss (≥ 5%) in the last 3–6 months; all were referred for a first consultation with the unit's dietitian. Further recommendations included dysphagia screening by a reference nurse, oral and dental health assessment, polypharmacy review, dietary habits evaluation, and investigation of potential causes of anorexia. Conclusions Frailty detection in HF patients allows for the implementation and planning of multicomponent interventions. A high percentage of frail patients require interventions targeting nutritional status.
Roig et al. (Sat,) reported a other. In elderly frail heart failure patients, 19.8% were malnourished and 37.8% had unintentional weight loss ≥5%, indicating need for tailored nutritional interventions.