Síndrome da fragilidade e aspectos nutricionais em idosos internados em um hospital universitário : um estudo transversal observacional

Abstract

Introduction: Increased life expectancy and the aging process are accompanied by multimorbidities and manifestations of chronic diseases. Furthermore, it is known that nutritional condition is an important factor in maintaining functionality, autonomy and improving muscle performance. Problems related to this can trigger a cycle of weaknesses. Therefore, frailty in the elderly is associated with greater vulnerability and susceptibility to falls and episodes of hospitalization. Therefore, elderly people with frailty syndrome have reduced walking speed, reduced hand grip strength, low level of physical activity and unintentional weight loss. These factors negatively impact functionality and autonomy, leading to hospitalization and an increase in illnesses. Such declines generate an increase in the need for hospitalization, driven by exacerbations of chronic diseases, which imposes a restriction on mobility in bed, triggering a process of accentuated muscle weakness, reduced functionality and autonomy. Objectives: To characterize elderly people hospitalized in a university hospital regarding the presence of frailty and nutritional aspects. Methods: Prospective, observational and cross-sectional study, in which elderly people over 60 years of age, hospitalized in the ward of a university hospital, were selected. Assessments were carried out to screen for frailty (self-reported feeling of exhaustion, unintentional weight loss, assessment of handgrip strength, gait speed test and physical activity), as well as a nutritional risk questionnaire (MANr). Results: 49 hospitalized elderly people were evaluated, with a mean age of 72.65 ± 9.20 years, of which 61.22% were male and 20.40% were illiterate. Among the clinical conditions, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) was the most prevalent with 20.40%. With regard to frailty syndrome, 84.1% of the population is characterized as frail and 2.3% as non-frail. Regarding nutritional status, the presence of malnutrition was detected in 62.2% of hospitalized elderly people. Conclusion: There is a high incidence of frail and pre-frail elderly people admitted to the hospital environment and these elderly people present malnutrition or nutritional risk.