L.M. Donini, C. Savina, A. Rosano1, M.R. de Felice2, L. Tassi2, L. de Bernardini2,
A. Pinto, A.M. Giusti, C. Cannella

1 Istituto Nazionale di Statistica ISTAT (Rome - Italy). 2 Istituto Geriatrico "Villa delle Querce" - Nemi (Rome, Italy). Correspondence: Lorenzo M. Donini, Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Istituto di Scienza dell'Alimentazione, P.le Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome (Italy). Fax: +3906/4991-0699. e-mail: Lorenzomaria.Donini@uniroma1.it

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to verify, in a sample of elderly subjects admitted to long-term care, the impact of malnutrition, according to the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), on mortality and on the occurrence of Adverse Clinical Events in a 3-12 months follow-up study. SUBJECTS: The survey included all patients admitted to a geriatric hospital--"Villa delle Querce", Nemi (Rome, Italy)--between January 1997 and April 2000, whose nutritional status we were able to monitor for over 3 months. The study comprised 167 elderly subjects, of which 125 women (74.9%) aged 83.3±8 years (60-95 years), and 42 men (25.1%) aged 79.6±9 years with an average follow-up period of 7.5 months. METHODS: Upon admission and at every check we evaluated each subject's cognitive functions, functional status, co-morbidity, frailty, nutritional status (anthropometric and biochemical indices; MNA). During the follow-up we recorded Adverse Clinical Events. We calculated the predictive value of MNA, we correlated variations in MNA scores with variations of nutritional parameters. RESULTS: MNA's predictive ability both upon admission and upon discharge was found to be excellent. The MNA score was found to be correlated-although not to a very high degree-with variations nutritional parameters. Even more than malnutrition, a low MNA score was found to be predictive of a greater incidence of Adverse Clinical Events during hospitalisation and of higher mortality.

Key words: MNA, malnutrition, elderly, nutrition, aging.