Nutritional risk, functional status and mortality in newly institutionalised elderly.

Previous studies have reported a close relationship between nutritional and functional domains, but evidence in long-term care residents is still limited. We evaluated the relationship between nutritional risk and functional status and the association of these two domains with mortality in newly institutionalised elderly. In the present multi-centric prospective cohort study, involving 346 long-term care resident elderly, nutritional risk and functional status were determined upon admission by the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and the Barthel Index (BI), respectively.

Alzheimer's disease and mortality in traditional long-term care facilities.

Although there is evidence that different types of dementia share similar pathophysiologic mechanisms, research studies support the concept that dementia of the Alzheimer type (AD) is a distinct clinical entity, which may differ in terms of disease progression and outcome. We assessed whether a diagnosis of probable AD in elderly patients admitted to traditional long-term care facilities results in different mortality rates. We analyzed data belonging to a prospective, multi-center (n=4) cohort study involving 378 long-term care facility residents.

Nutritional screening and mortality in newly institutionalised elderly: a comparison between the geriatric nutritional risk index and the mini nutritional assessment.

Background & Aims: Several tools are available for nutritional screening. We evaluated the risk of mortality associated with the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) in newly institutionalised elderly.

Methods: A prospective observational study involving 358 elderly newly admitted to a long-term care setting.

Body mass index and mortality in institutionalized elderly.

Objective: Malnutrition and sarcopenia in institutions are very common and significantly affect the prognosis. Aging is characterized by weight and lean body mass losses. Accordingly, in elderly patients, body mass index (BMI) is considered a marker of protein stores rather than of adiposity.

Disease-specific, versus standard, nutritional support for the treatment of pressure ulcers in institutionalized older adults: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To investigate whether a disease-specific nutritional approach is more beneficial than a standard dietary approach to the healing of pressure ulcers (PUs) in institutionalized elderly patients.

Design: Twelve-week follow-up randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Setting: Four long-term care facilities in the province of Como, Italy.

The ability of the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index to assess the nutritional status and predict the outcome of home-care resident elderly: a comparison with the Mini Nutritional Assessment.

The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) is recommended for grading nutritional status in the elderly. A new index for predicting the risk of nutrition-related complications, the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), was recently proposed but little is known about its possible use in the assessment of nutritional status. Thus, we aimed to investigate its ability to assess the nutritional status and predict the outcome when compared with the MNA.

The association of Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index and total lymphocyte count with short-term nutrition-related complications in institutionalised elderly.

Objective: To investigate how total lymphocyte count (TLC) and the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) are associated with short-term nutritional-related complications (death, infections, bedsores) in institutionalised elderly.

Methods: 220 home-care resident elderly (age +/- SD; 80.7 +/- 7.

Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index and overall-cause mortality prediction in institutionalised elderly: a 3-year survival analysis.

Background & Aims: A new tool, the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), was recently proposed to predict short-term complications in elderly medical patients but no information is available when long-term follow-up periods are considered.

Methods: A 3-year follow-up study in 245 institutionalised elderly (51 M:194 F; 83.7+/-8.

Non-pharmacological control of plasma cholesterol levels.

The importance of non-pharmacological control of plasma cholesterol levels in the population is increasing, along with the number of subjects whose plasma lipid levels are non-optimal, or frankly elevated, according to international guidelines. In this context, a panel of experts, organized and coordinated by the Nutrition Foundation of Italy, has evaluated the nutritional and lifestyle interventions to be adopted in the control of plasma cholesterol levels (and specifically of LDL cholesterol levels). This Consensus document summarizes the view of the panel on this topic, with the aim to provide an updated support to clinicians and other health professionals involved in cardiovascular prevention.

Short dietary assessment improves muscle dysfunction identification by Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index in uncomplicated institutionalised patients over 70 years old.

Background & Aims: To possibly investigate the validity of the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) in predicting muscle dysfunction among the uncomplicated elderly when coupled and compared with short dietary assessment.

Methods: A total of 130 (61 males and 69 females) stable-weight, over 70-years-old elderly patients were studied according to anthropometry, handgrip strength (HG) and simple dietary assessment, expressed as oral (percentage of food consumed to that delivered) and protein (g/kg/day) intakes.

Results: For the overall population, HG and strength for centimetres of arm muscle area (HG/AMA) significantly correlated with age, GNRI and nutrients intake (p<0.

Feasible use of estimated height for predicting outcome by the geriatric nutritional risk index in long-term care resident elderly.

Background: The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) is a new index recently introduced for predicting risk of nutritional-related complications in elderly patients. It combines albumin with information about body weight: GNRI = (1.489 x albumin, g/l) + (41.

The new Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index is a good predictor of muscle dysfunction in institutionalized older patients.

Background & Aims: The validity of Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), in predicting nutrition-related risk of complications in the elderly, has been recently underscored. Malnutrition may results also in muscle function impairment. Thus, the present study aims to investigate if GNRI might be a reliable detector of muscle dysfunction in institutionalized older people.