Abstract

BOLET ASTOVIZA, Miriam; SOCARRAS SUAREZ, María Matilde  and  RODRIGUEZ FERNANDEZ, Teresa. Some diseases in the hospitalized elderly and nutritional state: “Calixto García” Hospital, 2005. Rev Cubana Invest Bioméd [online]. 2006, vol.25, n.4, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-3011.

A descriptive study was conducted in 255 patients admitted in “General Calixto García” Hospital during 2005. The presence of some diseases was assessed to relate them to  nutritional state. The hospital population under study was characterized in both sexes and they were grouped according to their age in 60-69, 70-79, 80-89, and 90 and over. Anthropometric measurements were taken to evaluate the nutritional status. The following diseases were studied: dyslipidemias, cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic renal failure. It was found that dyslipidemias were the most frequent, followed by the cerebrovascular diseases. There was a greater number of patients with overweight and obesity. Energy malnutrition was higher among the patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The patients with chronic renal failure had a higher percentage of normal nutritional state, followed by overweight and obesity. These diseases should be prevented by a wide educative nutritional work to attain changes of the lifestyle and to improve the nutritional attention to persons over 60.

Keywords : Anthropometric measurements; normal nutritional state; energy malnutrition.