Prevalencia del riesgo de desnutrición y dinapenia en pacientes hospitalizados del Hospital General Guasmo Sur de Guayaquil en noviembre 2023.

Abstract

Hyponutrition and dynapenia are relevant conditions in hospitalized patients, negatively impacting their recovery, prognosis, and quality of life. Despite their importance, these conditions are often underdiagnosed and undertreated. This study investigates the prevalence of malnutrition risk and dynapenia in hospitalized patients using the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) and the Nutrition Day Survey. The study is a cross-sectional, non-experimental design with a quantitative approach, conducted on a sample of 89 patients, 64% of whom were male, with ages ranging from 16 to 86 years. The Malnutrition Screening tool revealed that 74% of hospitalized patients are at risk of malnutrition. According to the Nutrition Day survey, 26% of patients have not lost weight, while the remaining percentage shows a weight loss of 1 to 5 kg, related to decreased appetite and food intake. Dynamometry determined that 75.28% of the population presents loss of strength and consequently muscle mass. Additionally, it was found that 55% of patients with loss of muscle strength are at risk of malnutrition. Loss of muscle strength is prevalent and can occur across any BMI range. Conclusion: Early identification of nutritional risk is crucial for implementing timely nutritional interventions. A nutritional protocol and the implementation of nutritional screening are recommended to improve the clinical outcomes of hospitalized patients.