Prevalence and Correlation of Malnutrition and Depression Among Elderly Hospitalized Patients at Alexandria Main University Hospital

Background: Malnutrition and depression are common yet underdiagnosed conditions among elderly hospitalized patients, with significant impacts on morbidity, mortality, and quality of life. Both conditions often coexist and may be interconnected through shared physiological and social pathways. Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of depression and malnutrition and explore their correlation among elderly patients who were admitted to Alexandria Main University Hospital. Methods: 184 patients who were 65 years of age or older participated in a cross-sectional study. within the first 48 hours of admission to the internal medicine wards. The Mini Nutritional Assessment–Short Form (MNA-SF) was used to evaluate nutritional status, and depression severity was assessed using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). Results: Malnutrition was identified in 25% of participants, and 40.2% were at risk. Depression was observed in 69.6% of participants (39.7% mild, 9.8% moderate, and 20.1% severe). There was a statistically significant negative relationship between the MNA-SF and GDS-15 scores.(rs = -0.380, p < 0.001). The nutritional state was significantly associated with gender, age, marital status, polypharmacy, chronic kidney disease, BMI, hemoglobin, albumin, and eGFR (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Malnutrition and depression are prevalent and interrelated in elderly patients who were admitted to Alexandria Main University Hospital.