Association of anemia and malnutrition in hospitalized patients with exclusive enteral nutrition.

Sibila Reck de Jesus, Bruna Pessoa Alves, Anieli Golin, Schott Mairin, Leonardo Dachi, Andrea Marques, Elisângela Colpo

enteral nutrition therapy maintains and/or regains the nutritional status of the common patient in hospital settings, where anemia and malnutrition are food related and are very common diseases. to determine and associate the presence of anemia and malnutrition in hospitalized patients with exclusive enteral nutrition. a prospective, cross-sectional study with patients receiving exclusive enteral nutrition up to 72 hours after hospitalization. A nutritional evaluation was performed, consisting of anthropometric data, such as weight, circumferences, and skinfolds; dietary evaluation (data were collected through an electronic medical record) and biochemistry data (hemogram, albumin, C-reactive protein, capillary glucose monitoring). the population consists of 77 individuals. As the patients presented greater severity of anemia, corrected arm muscle area, calf circumference and serum albumin levels were reduced while C-reactive protein increased significantly (p < 0.05). In relation to the low weight classification according to the body mass index (BMI), it was observed that the anthropometric parameters such as corrected arm muscle area (R = 0.74, p < 0.001), adductor pollicis muscle thickness (R = 0.23, p = 0.046) and calf circumference (R = 0.81, p < 0.001) decreased as did biochemical parameters albumin (R = 0.26; p = 0.048) and capillary blood glucose (R = 0.34, p = 0.018). anemia has an important relation with anthropometric markers that evaluate the depletion of lean mass; the BMI has a strong association with all the anthropometric parameters evaluated, as well as the albumin and capillary blood glucose, except with the values of hemoglobin.