Malnutrition in cancer patients hospitalized at Centro Médico Docente La Trinidad in August-September 2017

Abstract

All individuals with deficiencies of macro and micronutrients necessary for the maintenance and repair of tissues suffer from malnutrition. The early recognition and treatment of malnutrition in health centers is a main care issue. Hospitalized patients present with increased basal metabolism and energy production to promote healing. Hospital malnutrition is a major problem worldwide, since it has been reported that 50% of hospitalized patients have some type of nutritional deficit. This translates into an increase in morbidity and mortality, mainly due to an increase in complications. In hospitalized cancer patients, multiple factors combine to cause malnutrition, including poor nutrient intake, altered digestion, and increased needs. 40-80% of malnutrition has been reported in cancer patients, so it is important to diagnose and, if necessary, request nutritional intervention in these patients in order to reduce morbidity and mortality and improve the quality of care. The present research work sought to determine the nutritional status of patients hospitalized at the La Trinidad Teaching Medical Center from August to September 2017 using the Subjective Global Assessment Generated by the Patient as a diagnostic method. Testing the hypotheses, moderate to severe malnutrition (or risk of suffering from it) was found in 87% of a sample of 15 patients. Likewise, it was determined that 100% of the sample deserved nutritional or pharmacological intervention by their oncologist and a nutrition specialist.