Prevalence of malnutrition and its correlation with various diseases in elderly patients in a tertiary care centre in eastern India.

Geriatric population is growing very fast but they do not receive due attention from the family members as well as in the society. So incidence of malnutrition is likely to be very high in them. This fact prompted us to evaluate nutritional status in this group of population. In this study persons more than 60 years were included. A total of 76 patients, both inpatients and outpatients, in a tertiary care centre were studied. Their ages ranged from 60-84 years. Their nutritional status were assessed clinically by body mass index (BMI), triceps skin fold thickness, waist-hip ratio (WHR), mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC) and from investigational parameters like blood for total and differential counts, ESR, serum for albumin, sugar, urea, creatinine, cholesterol and routine urine examination. According to BMI, undernutrition was found approximately in a quarter of all the elderly under study while overnutrition which includes both overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2 of body surface area) and obesity (BMI > or = 30 kg/ m2 of body surface area) was found in only 14.5% of patients. Central obesity as per WHR was strikingly high in females (85%) compared to males.