[Causes an clinical sign of malnutrition].

Malnutrition is a highly relevant independent clinical risk factor with scientifically well-proven clinical and economic consequences. The causes of malnutrition are complex and multifactorial. Malnutrition is frequently caused by medical as well as non-medical social factors as social isolation, inability to gain and/or prepare adequate food as well as poverty. Next to loss of body weight ongoing malnutrition resulted in a large variety of specific and predominantly non-specific symptoms. In patients on risk for malnutrition systematic questioning and targeted physical investigation are mandatory to diagnose malnutrition at an early stage and to evaluate the individually underlying causes in order to guarantee a timely adequate nutritional therapy in those patients.