AAIM Malnutrition Indicators and Etiologies as Predictors of Clinical Outcomes in Adult Hospitalized Patients

Malnutrition increases length of stay, readmission, and mortality in hospitalized patients. Clinical outcomes related to malnutrition severity and etiology have not been previously studied. This retrospective study investigated Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics/American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Indicators to Diagnose Malnutrition, and malnutrition severity and etiology as potential predictors of clinical outcomes. Inadequate energy intake predicted 30-day mortality (odds ratio: 5.29 [95% confidence interval, 1.12–25.02]; P = .036). Moderate malnutrition predicted 30-day readmission or mortality (odds ratio: 4.00 [95% confidence interval, 1.66–9.64]; P = .002); and severe malnutrition had higher 30-day mortality than no malnutrition ( P = .012). Acute illness/injury ( P = .039) and chronic disease/illness ( P = .018) etiologies had higher mortality than no malnutrition. These findings highlight the need to better understand clinical outcomes related to malnutrition severity and etiology.