The aim of this study was to diagnose Protein-Energy Malnutrition among 57 hospitalized patients admitted to a Gastroenterology infirmary for treatment from 12/96 to 6/97. The majority of these patients were women (63.2%) and had hepatic diseases (77.2%). The rest of them had intestinal diseases (10.5%), pancreatic diseases (5.3%), stomach diseases (3.5%) and others (3.5%). Nutritional status was objectively evaluated through anthropometry and laboratorial data and subjectively through the Detsky questionnaire. Both methods were done by the same observer. It was noticed that 68.5% of the patients had acceptable nutritional status, 21.0% moderate malnutrition and 10.5% severe malnutrition. By the results, it can be concluded that the occurrence of malnutrition or nutritional risk is frequent among hospitalized patients with gastrointestinal diseases and the previous diagnosis of Protein-Energy Malnutrition is very important to offer an adequate nutritional therapy to the patient.
nutritional status; nutritional assessment; inpatients; protein-energy malnutritional
