Effect of nutritional support in patients with lower respiratory tract infection: Secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial.

Background: In polymorbid patients with bronchopulmonary infection, malnutrition is an independent risk factor for mortality. There is a lack of interventional data investigating whether providing nutritional support during the hospital stay in patients at risk for malnutrition presenting with lower respiratory tract infection lowers mortality.

Methods: For this secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial (EFFORT), we analyzed data of a subgroup of patients with confirmed lower respiratory tract infection from an initial cohort of 2028 patients.