F086 Individualized nutritional intervention to prevent weight loss in Huntington’s disease (HD) patients during hospitalization

<h3>Background</h3> Weight loss (WL) is prevalent in HD, particularly exacerbated by neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), like aggression and agitation, and dysphagia in moderate to advanced stages. <h3>Objective</h3> To assess the effectiveness of personalized nutritional interventions in preventing WL in HD patients during hospitalization. <h3>Methods</h3> Hospitalized HD patients received a comprehensive nutritional assessment within the first week of admission, including BMI, Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), caregiver-reported recent WL, and evaluations using Determine, Dysphagia, and Barthel scales. Based on the assessment, a nutritional alert is triggered and a hypercaloric diet specifically tailored for HD is administered. Nutritional supplements were provided as needed. The goal was to prevent WL exceeding 5% of the patient‘s initial weight during their hospital stay. <h3>Results</h3> Over 12 years, 130 interventions were analyzed (72 males, 58 females; mean age 49.4 ± 9.89 years; mean admission duration 84.6 ± 77.74 days). Most patients (83.31%) were in moderate/advanced stages (TFC III, IV, V). Nutritional assessments showed a mean BMI of 22.94 ± 4.71 and a total MNA mean of 16.16 ± 5.35. Dysphagia was present in 48.11% of patients, and 40.57% reported WL before admission. Nutritional alerts triggered in 77 patients led to hypercaloric diets, with 31 (40.25%) receiving supplements. The mean weight change was +2.29 kg (±5.24), and 94.62% of patients maintained WL within 5% of their initial weight. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Malnutrition is a critical issue in HD, especially with concurrent NPS or dysphagia. Our individualized nutritional program effectively prevents WL during hospitalization, enhancing the quality of life and well-being of HD patients.