Interrelation of psycho-cognitive factors with the nutritional status of the elderly

Abstract

Introduction. Nutrition is an important determinant of health, physical and cognitive function, vitality, quality of life and longevity. Cognitive fragility is a new concept introduced in geriatrics and is a general term for the cognitive deficit present in the elderly. The purpose was to determine correlations of psycho-cognitive functions with malnutrition in the elderly. Material and methods:The observational study included 50 institutionalized patients (77.72 ± 1.08 years). Questionnaires were used to collect data on cognitive function tools (MMSE), emotional status (Hamilton Scale) and nutritional status (MNA). Conclusions: The results of this study revealed a high frequency of psycho-cognitive disorders in institutionalized elderly, 54% and 58% of cases, respectively. The presence of psycho-cognitive disorders correlated with malnutrition syndrome and it demonstrated the impact of these geriatric syndromes on the autonomy of institutionalized elderly people.