Prevalence of Malnutrition and Sarcopenia among Elderly with Low- Energy Femur Fracture. A 6 Months Prospective Analysis of 132 Cases

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of malnutrition and sarcopenia in elderly patients with low-energy femur fractures. Method: A cross-sectional observational study performed in two public hospitals in Cuiaba-Brazil. Physical examination data were collected from all patients within the first 24 hours after admission. The collection period lasted from May to October 2017. All cases were assessed by SARC-F questionnaire and the nutritional mini-evaluation (NMA). We performed a descriptive and epidemiological analysis for the prevalence of malnutrition and sarcopenia among the patients.Results: One hundred thirty two patients were analyzed, 58.3% males with mean age of 73.6 (ranging from 60-97) years old. Only 19.7% (26) of the patients were considered eutrophic and by the SARC-F questionnaire, 64.4% (85) of the studied population was considered as sarcopenics. Conclusion:The prevalence of malnutrition and sarcopenia is high in elderly patients with a low-energy femur fracture.