Influence of Nutritional Parameters on the Evolution, Severity and Prognosis of Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19

Abstract

This study evaluated the clinical and nutritional status, the evolution over three days, and the relationship between nutritional, inflammatory, and clinical parameters of critically ill patients with COVID-19. A longitudinal study was conducted in the Intensive Care Unit of the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital in Granada (Spain). The study population comprised patients with a positive polymerase chain reaction test for COVID-19 presenting critical clinical involvement. Clinical outcomes were collected, and inflammatory and nutritional parameters (albumin, prealbumin, transferrin, transferrin saturation index, cholesterol, triglycerides and Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score) were determined. A total of 202 critical patients with COVID-19 were selected, presenting highly altered clinical-nutritional parameters. The evolution experienced by the patients on the third day of admission was a decrease in albumin (p < 0.001) and an increase in prealbumin (p < 0.001), transferrin (p < 0.002), transferrin saturation index (p < 0.018), and cholesterol (p < 0.001). Low levels of albumin, prealbumin (on the third day) and high CONUT score (on the third day) showed an association with higher mortality. Nutritional variables were inversely correlated with clinical and inflammatory parameters. Critically ill patients with COVID-19 have poor nutritional status related to a poor prognosis of disease severity and mortality.

Factores de riesgo de la desnutrición hospitalaria y mortalidad en pacientes hospitalizados: Una revisión sistemática, periodo 2018-2023

“…Las afectaciones respiratorias como tuberculosis se han relacionado significativamente con el riesgo de padecer desnutrición hospitalaria (Barcus et al, 2021;Cuong et al, 2018;Rabeh et al, 2019). De manera similar en pacientes hospitalizados por COVID-19 se evidencia disminución de los niveles de albúmina y aumento de la prealbúmina, la transferrina, el índice de saturación de transferrina y el colesterol, que contribuyen a complicaciones y termine por la muerte del paciente (Gamarra-Morales et al, 2022;Velázquez Alva et al, 2021).…”

Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Frailty and Metabolic Syndromes—Two Sides of the Same Coin

“…In recent years, there are alarming data showing a worldwide increase in mortality in the elderly group, which is not only the result of deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also most common age-related diseases [1][2][3][4]. In developed countries, aging is often seen as typical, it is associated with dysfunctions resulting from an incorrect lifestyle (poor or bad balanced diet, lack of physical activity) [5][6][7][8].…”