Assessment of Malnutrition in Heart Failure and Its Relationship with Clinical Problems in Brazilian Health Services

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 19; no. 16; p. 10090
• Main Authors: Barbosa, Juliana Santos, Souza, Márcia Ferreira Cândido de, Costa, Jamille Oliveira, Alves, Luciana Vieira Sousa, Oliveira, Larissa Marina Santana Mendonça de, Almeida, Rebeca Rocha de, Oliveira, Victor Batista, Pereira, Larissa Monteiro Costa, Rocha, Raysa Manuelle Santos, Costa, Ingrid Maria Novais Barros de Carvalho, Vieira, Diva Aliete dos Santos, Baumworcel, Leonardo, Almeida-Santos, Marcos Antonio, Oliveira, Joselina Luzia Menezes, Neves, Eduardo Borba, Díaz-de-Durana, Alfonso López, Merino-Fernández, María, Aidar, Felipe J., Sousa, Antônio Carlos Sobral
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 15.08.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Alcoholic beverages; Brazil - epidemiology; Cardiovascular disease; Classification; Cross-Sectional Studies; Education; Ejection fraction; Heart failure; Heart Failure - complications; Heart Failure - epidemiology; Hospital Mortality; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Humans; Length of stay; Lifestyles; Malnutrition; Malnutrition - complications; Malnutrition - epidemiology; Medical records; Metabolism; Mortality; Nutrition Assessment; Nutritional Status; Patients; Public health; Public policy; Socioeconomic factors; Ultrasonic imaging; Brazil; cardiac insufficiency; malnutrition; health services
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191610090

Malnutrition in heart failure (HF) is frequent and associated with a worse prognosis. Due to differences in investment and the profile of those assisted, the objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of malnutrition in hospitalized patients with HF and its association with clinical outcomes in the public and private health systems. Methodology: A cross-sectional study, with 247 volunteers hospitalized with HF in three public hospitals and one private hospital in Aracaju, SE, Brazil. A subjective global nutritional assessment (SGA) and mini nutritional assessment (MNA) were performed. Results: Sample with 72.5% users of the public health system and 75.3% with malnutrition (public = 74.9%; private = 76.5%; p = 0.793). Regardless of the healthcare system, hospital stay (>14 days) was longer (p = 0.020) among those with malnutrition (48.4%) than well-nourished patients (29.5%). Malnutrition in the public system had higher mortality (7.5%; 5.8%; p < 0.001) and hospital transfer rate (21.1%; 0.0%; p < 0.001) than those in the private system. Death after discharge was observed only in the public system (p = 0.039). Conclusion: Malnutrition was frequent in both systems and was associated with longer hospital stays and, in the public hospital, in-hospital death and transfers.