Cognitive Disorders in Malnourished Elderly Subjects

Some authors have reported that protein-calorie malnutrition is a factor favoring cognitive decline in the elderly. Our aim was to study cognitive function and nutritional status in subjects aged over 60. This was a retrospective, descriptive study conducted in the internal medicine department of Mohammed Taher Maamouri Hospital, Nabeul, over a four-month period. One hundred and ten patients were included. The gender-ratio M/F was 1.03. The mean age of the patients was 71.36±8.5 years, with extremes ranging from 60 to 91 years. The mean Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was 22.1±7.3 points. Mean body mass index was 27.5±4.8, with extremes ranging from 17.4 to 39.6 kg/m². The mean Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) score was 22.4±8.4 points. Poor nutritional status or risk of malnutrition were noted in 26 and 19% of cases respectively. Malnutrition and its main clinical and biological markers were significantly associated with cognitive decline.