Nutritional support for stroke patients: an overview of international data and Russian experience

According to current data, the annual absolute number of strokes and deaths from them increased significantly from 1990 to 2019. In 2019, 12.2 million strokes were registered, while the total number of people who suffered a stroke in the world exceeded 100 million, of whom 6.55 million died. Worldwide, stroke remains the second leading cause of death (11.6%) and the third leading cause of death and disability combined (5.7%). Stroke patients are at high risk of developing malnutrition: its incidence upon admission to the hospital is about 20%, and the overall prevalence of this condition varies widely — from 6.1 to 62%. Both the previous and the resulting malnutrition is the reason for a longer stay in the hospital, deterioration of functional parameters and an increase in mortality 3–6 months after the stroke. Thus, adequate nutritional support for stroke patients should be considered as an integral component of their treatment and rehabilitation. This literature review is intended to summarize the foreign and Russian experience of nutritional support in stroke patients in order to develop an optimal algorithm of actions in the implementation of clinical nutrition in stroke patients and the use of the most effective dietary strategies that improve the prognosis, functional state and quality of life of this category of patients.