Nutritional status and functional capacity in the chronic care unit in hospital universitario, Neiva Estado nutricional y capacidad funcional en la unidad de crónicos del Hospital Universitario de Neiva

Abstract

Introduction.  In  Colombia  nutritional  status  is  widely  described  as  mal nutrition,  which  refers  to  its relationship  with  clinical  results.  Nutritional  status  and  functional  status  are  closely  related,  but  this  is rarely mentioned. The aim o f this study is to describe the nutritional and functional status in patients with chronic health conditions in a comprehensive health care institution. Method. A cross-sectional study. The nutritional  status  was  measured  using  a  subjective  global  assessment  (SGA)  and  the  functional  status using the Karnofsky Score. Nonparametrictests were used for comparisons between the function al groups. Results.  58  patients were identified. 36  (62.1%) were men and 22  (37.9%) were from a  rural area and a lower socioeconomic  class.  The  most common chronic condition was  related with  traum a  in  18  patients (31.0%) and  neurologic al conditions in  12  patients (20.7%).  In accordance with SGA, 52  (89.7%)  patients  were classified  as  being  in some state o f undernutrition ; half of those with severe undernutrition  (C)  and mild undernutrition or suspected malnutrition (B). The highest Karnofsky score was 60, with an average of 30 (40-50). The Karnofsky scores were similar, according to the SGA classification (p = 0 .5 2 7 9 ). Conclusion. The majority of patients with chronic conditions do not suffer from malnutrition or any functional dependency, taking  into  account  the  particular  requirements  and  evaluation  of  strategies.  Trauma  is  related  to  the stage o f chronic illness.