Nutritional status and some digestive symptoms in the elderly treated at Hanoi medical university hospital
- Author:
Bui Thi Cam Tra
;
Nguyen Thuy Linh
;
Pham Thi Tuyet Chinh
;
Nguyen Thu Trang
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Digestive symptoms;
nutritional status;
elderly;
Hanoi Medical University Hospital
- From:
Vietnam Journal of Public Health
2025;11(1):3-
- CountryViet Nam
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Background: The elderly are a population group that is particularly vulnerable to nutritional and digestive problems due to age-related physiological changes. In the hospital setting, where the elderly are treated as inpatients, gastrointestinal symptoms can become more complicated due to the impact of many factors related to the hospital environment such as changes in diet and use of multiple medications. In Vietnam, the population is aging rapidly, with the proportion of people over 60 years old increasing. This is a major challenge for the health system, especially in nutritional management and improving the quality of life of the elderly.
Objectives: The study aims to describe the nutritional status, common gastrointestinal symptoms and the association between gastrointestinal symptoms disorders and nutritional status in elderly individuals receiving inpatient treatment.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 264 elderly patients at Hanoi Medical University Hospital from March 2023 to May 2024. Nutritional status was assessed using the BMI (WHO) and MNA, with ROME IV criteria employed to determine gastrointestinal symptoms, including functional dyspepsia, belching disorders, nausea, and vomiting disorders. Related factors considered were age, gender, and comorbidities.
Results: The average age of the participants was 69.4±7.2 years. The rate of malnutrition or risk of malnutrition in the study subjects according to MNA was quite high, 12.5% and 70.1%, respectively. The prevalence of common digestive symptoms in elderly patients includes: 60.2% of elderly patients have symptoms of functional dyspepsia; 33.7% have symptoms of belching disorder; nausea and vomiting disorders account for 16.4%. According to MNA assessment, the proportion of elderly patients at risk of malnutrition and malnutrition with symptoms of gastrointestinal disorder was higher than the non-malnutrition group, the difference was statistically significant with p<0.05. Female participants often have digestive symptoms more often than male participants (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Digestive symptoms are common in the elderly treated in a hospital. The incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms in the elderly is related to malnutrition.
